


Blades In The Dark

by happydaygirl



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, hurt!Fili - Freeform, hurt!Kili, protective!Thorin, protective/big brother Fili
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2014-09-06
Packaged: 2018-01-20 09:39:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1505663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happydaygirl/pseuds/happydaygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captured in Goblin Town, the Dwarves are at the mercy of the monstrous Goblin-King;he wants answers, and will do anything- and everything- to hear what he wants. Finding Thorin stubborn, he goes to the next best thing- his youngest nephew...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The flames atop the torches flared bright and crackling; Kili struggled against the horde of Goblins that had him and his fellow dwarves captured and unable to escape.

Amongst the deafening noise of hundreds of the dirty creatures he shot a look at his brother- Fili was held tight next to him by a pair of brutish Goblins, his arms held behind his back.

'What have we got here then?' A great, booming voice sounded amid the chatter of the Goblins and the groans of the company as they tried to resist their captors.

Kili looked up, eyes wide as he looked upon the grotesque looking Goblin-King. It was the ugliest thing he had ever seen, and he had seen many ugly creatures in his time-mainly his brother in the mornings.

He felt Fili tense beside him, and knew he was reaching for a weapon. The Goblin-King seemed to have read his mind.

'Get their weapons! I want them unarmed!' he roared, watching with a sneer on his face as the Goblin horde turned and dived at the dwarves, stripping them of their swords, axes and knives.

Kili growled as his bow was ripped from his back; he spotted Thorin attempt to grab back his sword, only to be pulled back by his head by another dwarf. He caught his Uncle's eye- Thorin gave him a short nod; only a tiny expression, but it made Kili feel so much better.

His uncle had a plan. Everything was going to be alright.

The crashing of the metal weapons on the stone was almost deafening; the echo rattled around for what seemed like minutes.

Silence suddenly descended, a hush falling upon all those in the cave.

'So….who has dared travel into my kingdom?' The Goblin-King spat, beady eyes swivelling at all those beneath him.

No one answered. Kili looked up defiantly, anger coursing through him- he wasn't afraid, merely annoyed. Where was the Wizard?

The Goblin-King pretended to be angry, giving a mock sigh as he saw no one was answering. He peered at the party, eyes widening and his smile growing as his gaze fell onto Thorin.

'It cannot be?! Thorin Oakenshield?' he growled; his eyebrows rose in surprise. 'Well well well….this changes everything.'

'How so?' Thorin yelled, stepping forwards, chin in the air, before he was pulled back by a Goblin.

The Goblin-King sneered once more. 'I know of many who would like to have you in the position I do…..unarmed and vulnerable….' He grinned cruelly. 'I will leave that to them, however- I want to know what you are doing here.' He spat.

Thorin shook his head. 'Keep thinking, for I will not tell you.' He growled, eyes dark and scathing.

Kili realised he had been holding his breath. He exhaled slowly, trying to spot his sword and bow in the pile of discarded weapons on the floor near him.

He looked up as the Goblin-King began laughing. The sound made him feel sick.

'Maybe not you- maybe someone else?' he spat, looking at the other dwarves. Immediately, Kili felt his brother step nearer, fingers lacing into the material of his cloak.

'Touch any of my company- and you will regret it!' Thorin said, voice low and dangerous.

'Is that so? Well, I do like a challenge, and I'd like to see how you could save them….bring me the youngest!' The Goblin-King roared, eyes settling on Kili.

Kili's mouth opened in silent dismay and shock. Fili stepped bodily in front of his younger brother, growling at the Goblins around him. 'Touch him and you die!' he shouted, before one decided to chance their luck; Fili grabbed his skull and twisted, throwing the dead onto the ground. Kili pushed another in the chest, sending him careering into a group of them.

Fili was just about to throw a punch at the next one when he felt a sickening pain in his head and he fell to his knees; he blinked hard, feeling blood trickle down his face.

In his moment of absence his fingers had been ripped from his younger brother, and he yelped as he saw Kili struggling desperately in the grip of four large Goblins.

Bofur helped him up; as Fili jumped forwards to help his brother he held him back, grabbing his shoulders and hauling him to the side.

'No! We don't need another one to rescue!' he whispered urgently, holding on tight as Fili twisted and struggled. 'Leave me! They're not going to hurt him!' Fili yelled, looking with terrified eyes as he watched his brother being dragged to the front. 'I'll die before they do!' he promised.

Kili yelled and struggled against the iron grip of the Goblins. Once he was at the front they forced him to his knees- one of them grabbed his arms and twisted them back as another tied them.

He groaned with exertion as he tried to undo the binds; they seemed to get tighter every time he pulled.

He could hear his brother yelling behind him; he couldn't look back to see him, to seek a reassuring glance from the man who always saved him. He looked up, suddenly afraid, as the Goblin-King began laughing, folds of skin moving with each breath; he looked even uglier-yet fiercer- up close.

'So- who have we here?' he roared, sitting back in his seat.

Kili didn't answer; he merely looked at the stone floor.

He didn't see the nod the King gave to his Goblin followers. He shouted in surprise and pain as one punched him in the stomach. He groaned as pain blossomed in his gut.

Fili yelped as if feeling his brother's pain. He struggled against Bofur, who still held him tight. 'Let me go! Let me go to him!' he begged the older dwarf.

He looked to his side as he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Thorin. 'Help him, uncle! Please!' he muttered, aware of the other Goblins still around them. Thorin shushed him quietly.

Up at the front, Kili looked up, still wincing from the blow. The Goblin-King had leaned forwards.

'Didn't like that? There's more to come, I promise….' He growled, jowls wobbling as he waved his hand again.

Kili was ready this time; as the Goblin launched forwards he drew back his head, throwing it forwards when it was in range. The Goblin howled, clutching its forehead; Kili could feel blood against his own skin.

The Goblin-King's laugh filtered out. 'So…' he started, voice low. Kili's heart dropped; fear crept into his soul.

'…We have a fighter, do we?' he finished, before his eyes rested on Thorin.

'Why do you bring such warriors with you on a journey? What are you planning, Thorin Oakensheild?' he panted out.

Fili watched as his uncle said nothing. 'Tell him!' he hissed, eyes moving to Kili's back. 'Before he kills him, tell him!'

Thorin growled at him to be silent, eyes dangerous. 'We have no plan, no journey- and if we did, it wouldn't be any business of yours!' he shouted up at the Goblin-King.

'Why don't I believe you?' it returned, before turning to the left. 'If the Leader won't talk- maybe the follower will….bring out the machines!' he roared.

Kili shrank back as low rumbling began; he saw great wooden contraptions being wheeled into view.

'No…No….' he muttered, eyes wide as he began struggling once more. He didn't like the look of the blades, the ropes and the pulleys that came with these new objects.

'Please!' he yelled up at the Goblin-King, voice cracking slightly. 'I know nothing! I know nothing!'

Fili watched, horrified, as his brother begged for his life. He ripped his body away from Bofur and seized his Uncle- 'If he dies, I blame you!' he spat into his face, anger in his heart.

'What would you have me do? Betray our mission? Kill us all?' Thorin growled.

'He is your kin! Your own flesh and blood- you would let him die for the cause?' Fili hissed, disbelief clutching his body.

'Don't you think I do not know?! Kili will be fine- we need the right moment to strike….' Thorin tried to reassure him.

'He doesn't look fine from where I am!' Fili spat, looking back up at his brother.

Kili growled like an animal as he was forced to his feet- he kicked out at the Goblins; one fell to the ground, screeching. Another took its place, punching him in the stomach once more; Kili doubled up, groaning. He felt himself being dragged to the machines.

'Please!' he shouted up at the Goblin-King. 'Show mercy!'

'Mercy? I don't know that word.' The King yelled, grinning as the dwarf futilely struggled against his Goblins.

'Tell me what I want to know, and you may be spared.' He boomed.

Kili shook his head. 'I know nothing! I don't kno-'

'-I don't care for his lies anymore….tie him to the stock!' The King roared over him.

Kili's eyes widened as he was pulled back into the middle of a wooden contraption. The bonds on his arms were cut, yet he had no time to fight- a Goblin wrenched his arms upwards and fixed them to the leather straps connected to the top of the object. He struggled relentlessly as his legs were parted and his feet connect to the other sides.

Fili, who still had his hands fisted in Thorin's cloak, could finally see his brother's face. The brothers locked gazes- he tried to look calm, strong, but he knew his eyes betrayed him by the way Kili's eyes went glassy.

'What are you doing here?' The King bellowed, eyes narrowed.

'Nothing, nothing I swear, we got….lost.' he finished, before cursing himself. What sort of an excuse, what kind of story, was that? He looked up at his brother, saw his shock reflected in Fili's eyes.

'You got lost?' The Goblin-King repeated, before he sneered. 'Somehow I don't believe it!' he roared, laughing once more.

He gestured down to a wooden box that had also been brought in with the wooden contraptions.

With one long, fat finger he commanded a larger Dwarf to open the box. Kili could hear his heart beating fast, could feel it in his throat; a bead of sweat trickled down his face.

Fili surged forwards, muttering 'No…' as he went. Thorin launched after him and wrenched him back, hard against his chest. 'I can't rescue both of you!' he muttered into his ear. Fili growled and turned his head away, anger in his throat. 'Can't or won't?' he snarled, pulling his Uncle's hands from his chest. Thorin stepped back a little, a crushed look in his eyes. Fili ignored him; instead he looked back at his brother, who had gone deathly pale and had started to shake.

Kili looked as the Goblin approached the box, eyes wide and terrified. He watched, almost mesmerised, as it threw open the lid and drew out what was inside.

A flash of iron reflected in the torch-light. Kili swallowed hard as the Goblin sneered, brandishing the long, shiny blade in its dirty hands.

The Goblin-King chuckled darkly, and it chilled Kili to the bone.

'You will speak, Dwarf. One way or another, I will get my answers- even if I have to go through each and every one of you….' He sneered.

Kili's head shot up, eyes immediately seeking Fili. His brother looked back, abject fear in his eyes, his mouth open in silent horror. Thorin was over his shoulder; his uncle nodded once more- but this time it did not make him feel better. Thorin had no plan, he realised. Now he doubted whether he had even had one in the first place.

'Anything to reveal before we begin?' The Goblin-King asked, finger raised to give the command for the torture to start.

Kili took one final look at his brother and uncle, and drew in a deep breath. 'I know nothing.' He said, his eyes dark. He hoped his shaking hadn't betrayed his true feelings.

'Then you deserve every ounce of pain you are about to receive…..begin!' The Goblin-King spat.

Kili heard his brother cry out, but he held his own voice. The Goblin with the blade advanced, a cruel expression on his face.

He took another deep breath and steeled himself, waiting for the inevitable to happen…..


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Kili feels the wrath of the Goblin King, Fili does something very reckless to try and save his brother....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this so far, and if you're new to this fic- thanks for dropping by!  
> Enjoy...

The Goblins surrounding the Dwarves started chattering and shrieking as soon as their King gave the order- Fili shouted in dismay, but his voice was lost above the din. He launched forwards, determined to get to his brother before that Goblin had time to inflict any pain on him; Thorin once again pulled him back, only this time Fili could see shock and anger in his dark eyes. 'I don't want you to get hurt too!' he snarled, eyes completely fixed on his younger nephew. They had done nothing wrong-this shouldn't be happening….

The Goblin with the blade stepped forwards, brandishing the knife in front of him. Kili tried to pull away, but his arms were stuck tight- all he could do was move his head and neck; although he couldn't even move that very far.

'Start at the top! But don't take his head off…..I still want to be able to talk to him.' The Goblin-King roared; the fatty rolls of skin flapped as he laughed. The Goblin nodded, large eyes fixing on the Dwarf. It bent forwards, blade flashing. Kili moved his head away; trying to resist the urge to squeeze his eyes shut and yell out. The Goblin growled, and with its free hand, it pulled his face towards him, but tilted it to the side at the same time. Kili struggled in its strong, tight grasp- but the Goblin was much too strong for him.

He had never encountered anything like this before- he didn't know what to do…

Kili didn't even feel a thing the first time the blade sliced his skin; the adrenaline had taken over.

He felt warm blood trickle from his exposed neck, heard it dripping onto the leather of his coat. He looked up at the Goblin wielding the blade; it's blue-green skin shining in the torchlight. It had eyes like a feline; its small mouth was laced with disgusting, long teeth. It screeched with glee as it watched the Dwarf shake before him-Kili straightened up, determined not to give it any satisfaction.

'Now- are you ready to talk?' The Goblin-King boomed, leaning sideways to get a better view.

Kili breathed in; the pain was setting in-he could feel the slice like he had been burned.

Back in the crowd, Fili turned once more to his uncle, tears in his eyes. 'Is this enough? Will you do something now-I am not going to stand here and watch him die; and you can't make me!' he growled, blue eyes pleading. Thorin broke his gaze to his nephew to look upon the other.

'I will not let him die-'

'-Only to get tortured a little?!' Fili gasped out, incredulous.

'That's not what I mean-'

'As long as he doesn't reveal your plans, eh? As long as he doesn't betray you? You care more for glory than for family…' Fili spat, once again wrenching himself away from the man he called Uncle.

Up at the front, the Goblin-King had started to speak once more. 'You seem very strong, Dwarf. But I know how to break creatures like you…..' It boomed.

Kili drew in a breath as the Goblin moved forwards once more. 'Go further up.' The King demanded. 'A couple of cuts across the face- even if he does not talk- will serve as a reminder to everyone else of his insolence.'

'No! Leave him alone!' -Kili looked up at the sound of his brother's voice, an insane, hopeful smile latching onto his face. It fell off his features as the goblin didn't even look round.

He craned his neck to the side as hard as he could, a whimper escaping from his lips as he desperately tried to move away from it- he just couldn't move, couldn't get away from what was happening; he just wanted to disappear in the ground like he would if he was back home- why did he even agree to do this?

The goblin screeched in anger when it saw that the dwarf wasn't doing as he was meant to- he made a grotesque, yelping noise to an equally large goblin behind him. The second goblin ran up and grabbed Kili's face, bringing it forcefully forwards so he was facing the front.

'Please…please….' Kili begged, trying to drag his face as far backwards as he could, eyes wide, teeth chattering.

'Then tell me what I want to know!' roared the Goblin-King, pounding his huge fist on the floor.

Kili supressed a cry of mixed fear and impatience. 'I don't know anything!' he yelled.

'YOU ARE LYING!' came the reply; the ground shook with the force of his words. 'Get on with it!' The King ordered his goblins.

The second goblin renewed its fight, forcing Kili's head forwards with brute strength. Kili tried to bring up his knees, but once again found he couldn't move.

The first goblin advanced, blade tight in its grip; Kili was forced to watch as it drew nearer. He wanted to look into the crowd, wanted to look at his brother- but he had been taught long ago by his uncle that to conquer your fears you first had to face them; so he watched the iron blade, until he could see his eyes reflecting in its shine.

Back in the crowd, Fili shook his head, eyes steely. To hell with his Uncle, to hell with the mission- this was his brother, and he was getting him back.

He moved to his side, eyes falling on the goblins that were still holding him tight; their grip tightened on his arms. He growled under his breath; making sure he was well covered by the other dwarves, he made his move.

One goblin went down almost immediately, neck twisted out of shape. The other looked round, eyes wide as they darted from the floor to Fili- the dwarf looked around momentarily panicked; before he could do anything, a hand clamped down on the mouth and nose of the creature from behind. Bofur peered around its shoulder, a frown on his face as the goblin beneath him began to writhe and struggle.

'Go! Go!' he muttered urgently, before smiling as he dropped the goblin on the floor, twitching. 'Before they realise- go!'

Fili nodded a thanks; he moved as quickly as his youth allowed, disappearing as well as he could do into the surging crowd of goblins and dwarves.

Up at the front, the blade found its target- this time Kili screamed. The blade slid through his skin like it was butter, and he felt fresh warm blood pouring from the wound. He instinctively tried to move his hands to defend himself, but of course he couldn't; his arms hurt from trying to pull them free.

Twice more the blade dug; twice more Kili felt like he was dying. His voice, cracking with use, suddenly mingled with that of his fellow dwarves- he could hear the others yelling and shouting. Thorin's was the most recognisable, but it didn't cause any feeling in him this time; his body and world was filled with pain; hot, fiery pain.

His eyes squeezed shut against the agony; the only voice he was interested in was his brother- but he couldn't hear him.

'PLEASE! HAVE MERCY!' he managed to yelp; he could feel the blood running down in rivets against his skin. The two goblins fell back, eyes to their master.

'You now have three lines in your face- any more lies, tricks or insolence from you, and I will tell them to slice your face off! Piece by piece….' The Goblin-King spat.

Kili shrank back, his face ablaze with agony; he could feel himself shaking- the chains supporting him were rattling.

'Why are you in my kingdom?!' The King boomed, anger now filing his words.

Kili opened blurry eyes, seeking his uncle for once. Their eyes met, yet Thorin was the first to break the contact. Kili's mouth opened silently, fear once again tugging at his bones. He looked back at the Goblin-King, face set.

'We didn't mean to come this way- we were heading on a different route, I swear!'

'….And where were you heading to?' the King muttered, voice low and dangerous.

'I-I can't say.' Kili cried out, face still in agony. He looked at the floor; he couldn't see straight any more, let alone think straight.

'I still don't believe you.' The King spat, and he looked back at his goblins. 'Maybe a little more force is needed to loosen his tongue….' He flicked his hand to motion them on.

Before they could even get close, a war-cry sounded in the darkness. Kili looked up as a dark figure launched itself in front of him, bent to the pile of weapons and drew a sword. The sword was raised high, a loud, strong yell was heard, and the Goblins stepped forwards, screeching.

The figure ran at them, sword swinging down in a large arc that cut the goblin in half, blood spattering onto the floor. The other Goblin who still brandished the sword stabbed and screeched, but the figure was too fast- the dwarf blade sank into its chest like a stick in snow; the pierced body was flung aside, and the figure stepped back, grunting.

Not even looking back, they ran to Kili who looked up to see who it was- but deep down, he already knew. His brother stepped into the torch light, a horrified look on his face. 'Kili….' He groaned, embracing his brother, not even caring his face was on the side with all the blood on it.

Kili let his head fall onto his shoulder, could feel his brother shaking beneath him….

'Fili!' Kili yelped as he looked behind his brother- Fili obviously hadn't factored in the other goblins. Powerless, he watched as his brother was pulled away from him; he felt tears fall this time. They had been so close to getting out. So close.

Fili yelled and struggled, roaring in anger as he tried to pull the goblins off him.

'What have we got here then!?' The Goblin-King roared, dark eyes fixed on the new dwarf.

'Though you could get to him, did you? Thought you could swoop in and save him? You thought wrong! Who are you?' the King spat.

Fili wasn't quite as silent as Kili. 'My name is Fili- and you are going to die in so much pain that you and your horde will never forget the time you crossed this pack of dwarves!' he yelled, eyes ablaze with fury. 'Release my brother, and we shall go- and you will be spared your life!' Fili was glad he sounded a lot braver than he actually felt; he only hoped he was convincing.

The Goblin-King roared with laughter. 'You think you can harm me, you a-did you say he was your brother?' the King stopped, a cruel smile forming on his lips.

Fili faltered, looking back at Kili, whose eyes widened. 'I-I….' he stammered, not knowing what to say.

'You did, didn't you? We have kin here, it seems….' His large, malice filled eyes fell onto Thorin, whose own eyes were dark. 'Brothers, is it? That's the only trouble with brothers- when one loses a brother, one is never…..whole again, are they?' he laughed in his throat, long and low, before turning to a dwarf to his side. 'Bring out two low stocks, and the Knout….' He ordered.

As Fili was grabbed and brought to his knees, he laughed again, steepling his fingers. 'Let us see who is the stronger…..and who will fall first-'

'I will take everything!' Fili roared, struggling to stand. 'Give it all to me!'

'Oh, but that's not fair- did your mother never teach you how to share?' the King roared, grinning sadistically.

'Oh, I am going to have so much fun…' it boomed, eyes settling on both Fili and Kili, the cruel smile still on its lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up tomorrow!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LOTS of hurt!Kili and hurt!Fili in this chapter, I warn you....

Thorin gasped as if each of the Goblin-King's words were physical blows to his body. He fisted his hands to stop them from shaking; eyes never leaving the figures of his two nephews up at the front.

His eyes welled up with angry tears; he blinked them away, mouth curling with fury. The two goblins holding his body with the others started to laugh with the rest of their horde, jeering and screeching as if egging each other on.

Thorin felt the strong, fiery feeling of hatred bubble up in his throat as he was forced to listen to them celebrate the imminent torture of his family. He pulled his arms away, but they grabbed him and tried to push him to his knees.

Thorin growled and forced himself to stay upright- he had to look at them, he had to be there for them; until he got his chance.

Up at the front, Fili was shaking his head, eyes wide. 'You listen, you gutless pig- let my brother go! Let him go, and we can settle this! Let him go….and you can have me!'

'NO! FILI NO!' Kili screamed, one eye closed as blood ran into it. Kili shook his head feverishly as his brother forced his head round. 'Don't be stupid!' he begged, voice cracking with pain and emotion. 'Don't you do this….'

The Goblin-King roared with laughter and wiped a tear from the corner of one huge eye. 'This is too precious! Sacrificing yourself for your brother? How noble of you…' it boomed, clapping his hands together. Each clap sounded like a round of thunder in the cave, the echo lingering.

Fili growled at the insults. 'I mean it!' he yelled, eyes dark and determined. 'Let him go!' before he could speak again, however, the rumble of more machines drowned him out.

Some of the goblins holding Fili suddenly let go; he twisted his body to see where they had gone. They had run over to Kili like rats; he watched them untie his brother and drag him by his arms like an animal. Kili's head was bent low, his body limp. Fili felt his heart leap into his mouth, his body going cold.

'Kili? Brother…..' he whispered as he was brought near- but not near enough to touch, or to comfort. Fili's face hardened with unmarked fury; with strength he didn't even know he had he jumped up, sending the goblins scattering for moment, before they jumped back on him- this time they couldn't beat him down. He stood, facing the King, face white with anger.

'IF HE DIES YOU WILL REGRET IT!' he roared, voice strong. 'LEAVE HIM ALONE!'

The Goblin-King pretended to be scared; it fell back into its chair, hand to his heart. 'What a brave dwarf! What a wondrous warrior, what a hero…..' it sat forwards, eyes shining with cruelty. 'I don't like heroes.' It whispered, before looking pointedly behind the two dwarves.

Fili looked round, heart racing; the machines were in place. He looked into the crowd, at the scared, wide eyes of his fellow dwarves.

It suddenly dawned on him what just was about to happen here, if he didn't do something about it. They were going to be tortured for information, in front of everyone.

His eyes sought his uncle, but he found that Thorin wasn't looking at him- he was looking around the cave like he was choosing a new home.

He resisted the urge to spit on the floor. He felt nothing but hatred at this moment for him.

He looked down at his brother, who was now struggling to sit up, for he had three goblins all trying to pull him to the floor. 'Kili- be strong, don't break; everything will be ok.' He didn't smile comfortingly, for he now had no comfort to give; he just hoped his words were comfort enough.

He nodded once at this little brother; Kili offered him a small, weak smile, blood congealing black onto his white face.

Moments later, he was dragged to his feet, and pulled stiffly away from his brother and nearer to the machines. 'Fili…..FILI!' Kili yelled, giving in to his fears, not caring if they made him sound like a child. He didn't want this to happen, didn't want to be here anymore….

'Please don't do this! We don't know anything!' he continued, and with each word Fili's heart broke into more pieces.

After all the torture, after all the pain- his brother was still lying for their uncle- He only hoped he would match his strength.

He watched, mouth open in terror, as Kili was dragged to one of the stocks; one of the goblins tore at his cloak, finally ripping it off and flinging it to the ground- his shirt was next; the sound of ripping cotton and fabric seemed louder than natural.

Finally, bare-chested, his brother was pulled, groaning and struggling, onto the machine; his head and shoulders went on the top, the heavy wooden bar encasing them to the contraption. 'Please….' He heard his brother shout, although now he couldn't see his face again- he was facing the front once more.

Fili felt himself shaking, whether in fear or anger he now couldn't tell. He growled and spat like an animal as he too was now forced over to the other stock.

'You'll regret this!' he yelled behind him, at the Goblin-King. He heard deep laughter as his reply.

Fili looked at his fellow dwarves; they had all started to struggle against the goblins, yelling dwarvish curses and growling like beasts as they tried to fight the horde- looking up, Fili could see more goblins running down to join the others, and soon there were five to every dwarf.

Thorin looked up at his youngest nephew; Kili was looking to the floor, blood dripping in gloopy strands from his face to the stone.

He tried to make a noise to get his attention without attracting it from the goblins surrounding him; his heart plummeted, hot anger and cold shock running into his face as Kili, not hearing him, sniffled and shook his head slowly, wincing.

He growled and struggled against the creatures holding him; his arms were bent behind his back so he couldn't even move them. He could feel himself shaking as he looked at his fellow company- some were still yelling to the front, others were glaring, lips curled in anger.

'What do we do?' Bofur yelled in his ear; Thorin turned as well as he could- Bofur's hat was askew, his usual smile replaced by a look of horror and concern.

'I- I don't know….give me a minute-'

'They don't have a minute! We need to act now o-'

'I know what we have to do! I said give me a minute and I'll deal with this!' Thorin hissed, struggling against the strength of the goblins as he tried to make Bofur understand.

Bofur scoffed, eyebrows raised, but didn't reply. That hurt more than anything.

Up at the front, Fili let himself be manhandled up to the second stock that was next to his brother. Kili looked up as he felt his brother near him; although he couldn't see him very well, he knew he was there. He tried to call out his name, but found his throat had gone dry; he coughed a few times, wincing as it moved his cut face.

He turned his head as much as he could; his neck and arms were both encased in the stock- he could feel his hands going a little numb.

Fili took a deep, steadying breath as he was forced to his knees and his head was pushed into the stock; the top came down with a bang, and he was forced to look forwards.

'No no, this will not do!' came the roar of the Goblin-King. The Goblins in the room quietened, eyes racing to their master. 'No- have them facing each other! I want them facing each other!' he boomed, clapping his hands to get his goblins moving.

Fili saw his brother look up, wide eyed, as he was pulled backwards and away to the side- seconds later he was pulled as well; pain erupted in his back as the muscles strained against the unwanted movements.

The next time Fili looked up; he was facing his little brother, their eyes boring into each other's.

Kili felt his brother's penetrating gaze; he knew he was looking him up and down, checking for damage he may not have seen. After that, Fili gave him a slow nod; he returned it, grateful.

'Now we're all settled…..' the Goblin-King roared to the room at large. '…..Bring forth the whip.'

The Goblin's started chattering and screeching once more as a large goblin was handed the Knout. He flicked it lazily on the ground, before properly hitting it against the ground; the resounding crash was deafening; Fili saw his brother jump despite himself.

The dwarves started yelling above the goblins, their combined voices loud and angry; Fili heard his uncle's loud and clear; the anger in his voice made his heart leap- so he did feel something….

'Begin with the hero- let his brother see how heroes can be unmade….' The King spat, chuckling darkly.

Kili's head snapped up; he watched as his brother's cloak and shirt were also torn and removed, until his chest was bare and he could see his torso moving up and down with each laboured breath.

'Fili…no….' he muttered, not caring if his throat burned.

Fili looked up, and this time he did smile at his brother; he shushed him silently. Inside his head however, he was screaming in panic. How was he going to get them out of this?

He tensed his body; he knew it was the wrong thing to do, but he couldn't stop himself.

Seconds later, he did scream. The many-tailed whip smashed into his back, sending him forwards into the stock.

His skin was on fire, he knew- he would be ash in seconds. He supressed a sob, cursed the tears falling out the corners of his eyes; he couldn't let on to his brother what this felt like.

Kili however, could see. He yelled out, voice cracking as he tried to see the Goblin-King. 'WE TOLD YOU EVERYTHING WE KNOW! WE PROMISE! WE PROMISE!' he cried, willing his tears to stop.

Fili felt blood slide down his skin, warm and watery. He growled and shook his head, pushing the pain back.

'This is just for starters, boys!' The Goblin-King roared. 'Now for the other!' he yelled.

'NO! LEAVE THEM ALONE!' A lone, strong voice cut through the chattering of the goblins and the yells of the dwarves.

Thorin Oakenshield, eyes ablaze with fury, pushed himself- goblin captors and all- to the front of the crowd; he was now facing the King.

'I said leave them alone! We have done no wrong to you! They have answered your questions- now release them!' he shouted, shaking hand raised.

The Goblin-King laughed, low and dangerous. He flicked his fingers. 'Bring him up here- let him see how we deal with liars in Goblin-Town.'

Thorin growled at the goblins, but allowed himself to be pulled to the front and pushed to the floor. He looked across at his nephews, but could only see Kili. His face was white, his body shaking.

'I'm sorry….' He mouthed. Kili couldn't nod to agree; he just hoped his eyes held enough for his uncle to take comfort from.

As the Goblin-King began to speak once more, he looked up, eyes dark. 'These two dwarves are strong specimens of your kind-but I can break them….and I can break you, too.'

The words carried threats and malice, but Thorin was unafraid. 'If you touch one hair on m- on their heads again, we will go through this place and kill each and every one of you; if we don't, then our kin will- we will demolish this city like a flood!' he promised, shaking.

The Goblin-King laughed, and flicked his finger once more- before Thorin could even look round, there was a high-pitched crash, and his nephew screamed out in agony.

'NO! NO I SAID NO!' He yelled, turning to find Kili, mouth open in a silent scream, eyes squeezed shut.

'PLEASE! Please…..' he turned back to the King.

'…..Is the great Thorin Oakenshield…..begging to me?' the Goblin-King muttered. 'Oh this is just too good.' It laughed.

Thorin sneered, not caring what anyone thought of him. His family needed him. 'Please, let them go!' he ventured.

'No, I shall not, and you- not I- shall regret the day you came upon us. Again!' he cried to his goblins. Thorin yelled as the whip came down on Kili once more; his nephew's voice cracked as he yelled out.

Fili wanted to close his eyes against everything that was happening, but he couldn't- he wanted Kili to be able to look at him properly when he ever looked up.

He struggled against the thick wooden machine, sobs racking his body; he could hear Kili whimpering from in front of him. 'Take me! Leave him and give it to me!' he yelled, falling against the stock, exhausted.

The Goblin obliged- it ran around to Fili's side, squealing with animalistic enjoyment. Fili saw his brother finally look up; his eyes had darkened, the glint was gone.

Seconds later, and the whip came crashing down on his back. He jumped, eyes shut against the agony as he felt fresh blood make its way down his back.

'Leave them alone!' he heard his uncle shout from behind. He heard emotion this time, clearer than ever. He looked up to see Kili weakly resting onto the stock, his knees beginning to sag, his eyes fluttering.

'No….no, Kili!' he gasped out, trying vainly to harness his brother's attention. 'Kili please…..' he begged, voice cracking.

How was he going to get them out of here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How will they get out of Goblin Town? Find out in the next chapter, its up tomorrow!  
> Thanks for reading! x


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Fili and Kili continue to suffer, Thorin himself is ordered to help.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Fili and Kili, they are really suffering in this one :D I hope you're enjoying!

Thorin looked up as the Goblin-King started to laugh once more. It leaned forwards as if to share a secret just between them. 'I don't think the youngest is going to make it- what a shame….' it growled, chuckling darkly as Thorin spun round, eyes wide as he looked upon his nephews.

Fili was trying to grab his brother's attention, but all he seemed to be able to attract was the attention of the goblins surrounding them; he growled and winced as the whip came down once more upon his bare skin, but the pain just seemed to roll off him- he had a new priority now, not just worrying about his own body.

'Kili! Kili look at me!' he yelped, biting back a cry as one of the goblins hit him in the back, it's scaly fist scratching his already scarred skin.

Kili tried to lift his head; it hurt his muscles in his face and his back to do so- the skin seemed to be tightening and crusting, it was agony to move. 'Fili….' He breathed, relaxing one hand from the permanent fist he had moulded it into to fight the pain. He flexed his fingers, moving them into the direction of his brother as if to grab his hand. He closed his eyes when his hand met air and not flesh; he sank deeper into the floor, eyes closing once more.

He felt tired; he wanted to rest, not to hurt.

Thorin growled deep in his throat; the goblins surrounding him seemed to sense this new, darker anger from their prey- they looked up to the Goblin-King, who offered the dwarf a genuine frown.

'Why do you care so much if you aren't doing anything? Why do you care so for their fate?'

Thorin didn't answer- he grabbed the nearest goblin with renewed strength, snapping its neck like a twig- the other two went down almost simultaneously, shrieking.

The King sat back, whether feigning shock or really feeling it, Thorin didn't know- he was too busy dispatching those surrounding him.

Seconds later, however, more goblins came- one held a wooden club in its grasp; Thorin tried to duck, but the wood smashed into his face, sending him careering backwards with blood pouring from his nose.

The other goblins jumped on his suddenly prone body; he was surrounded once more; what seemed like hundreds of filthy hands seemed to clamour and grip him.

He yelled as he was forced to his feet and dragged closer to the King; he tried to sniff up the blood- he could feel himself start to choke on it.

'You are reckless, I'll give you that! You risk much for yourself….' The King roared, eyes now dark with malice as it gazed upon the ground that was littered with his dead- true, he didn't care much for the lesser goblin; he had plenty of other helpers, but the dwarf had gone too far this time.

'I should kill you were you stand! Throw your body to the rats along with each of your company!'

'Then why don't you? Go on, do it- if you dare!' Thorin spat, before casting a look back at his nephews; Kili seemed to be unconscious, and he could only see Fili's back.

He felt anger and hate bristle inside him as he watched blood flow lazily from the lashes that the goblin's had inflicted.

'Do it, you say? Kill everyone you seem to hold dear….alright, seeing as that's what you want….' The Goblin-King flicked his hand- Thorin watched as a large goblin returned with the knife.

'NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! STOP!' he roared as the goblin advanced from behind Kili, blade raised high.

'Stop? But I thought-'

'Please! Please have mercy!' Thorin gasped. 'Whatever hatred you have towards me, don't take it out on them!'

'…..Why shouldn't I? What do they mean to you?' the Goblin-King queried; however he gave the order for the goblin to stand down. It retreated, blade now behind it.

Thorin opened and closed his mouth like a fish. If he told them of his relations, it could well guarantee their freedom- the Goblin-King seemed more lucid now, more forgiving…..unless it was looking for a new angle, and new way to hurt him.

He realised that it was the latter- but it seemed he had taken too long to answer.

The Goblin-King growled impatiently. 'Let us loosen his tongue too- it seems liars run in this group! Pull out three more of those creatures!' he ordered, pointing at their fellow dwarves.

'What? No….' Thorin muttered, turning, eyes wide, heart plummeting, as Bofur, Nori and Gloin were pulled, fighting and yelling, from the group.

'Leave them be! Leave them!' he yelled, shaking his head.

The Goblin-King ignored him, chin high. 'Hold them over there in a line- one of you get the oil. Let's see how much of a risk-taker Thorin Oakenshield really is….'

Thorin shrank back in utter shock. What was going on here?

He looked across at his fellow dwarves; Bofur was growling and trying to push back his attackers, Gloin was being held back by three of them as he tried to fight his way free, and Nori was curled into himself, shaking as he was held tight by the goblins.

'Leave them alone!' he repeated; he didn't know how he could feel this much hatred toward a fellow being.

'Tell me what connection you have to the ones in the stocks, and you shall all go- I have tired of these petty games.' The Goblin-King reasoned.

'There is no connection! We met on the road and became close, is all.' Thorin lied, trying not to snatch a look at his nephews as he spoke to them.

'Then you won't mind if we do this-'there was another crash, but only a single grunt; Thorin heard Fili shout in shock, and new Kili couldn't take much more.

He choked back a sob. 'Stop it! Stop it!' he roared, every fibre of his being wanting to run to his nephews, to bundle them up like children and cradle them and never let them go.

His eyes stung; he didn't know if it were from the smoke from the torches or the emotion- he also didn't much care.

'Then tell me how you are connected!? Tell me or I flay them till they are each an inch from death and their skin litters the stone!' the Goblin-King boomed.

'They are my nephews!' Thorin cried, emotion overcoming him; he just wanted it to be over for them.

The King sat back, eyes wide. He then began to chuckle once more, low and dark and long. 'I see.' He started, steepling his fingers once more, his gaze passing from the three dwarves to his left, Thorin in the middle, and Fili and Kili to his right. 'That wasn't so hard, was it?' he grinned, his sneer wide and cruel.

Thorin stepped back, feeling sick. What had he done?

The Goblin-King leant forwards, elbows resting on the fat of his knees. 'Give him the whip.' The four words cut like knife blows.

Thorin felt the breath leave his body; he was surely dead- dead and in the worst hell anyone could imagine.

'W-what? You said you would let them go!' he stuttered, shaking his head.

'Did I?' the Goblin-King pretended to look confused. He shrugged, 'Ah well, we'll do this….' He chuckled darkly as the whip was passed from goblin to goblin, until it reached Thorin.

The heir of Durin looked down at it; the sick feeling rising to his throat. 'I won't do it. You can't make me.' He growled, looking toward his nephews.

Kili was awake now, his head better supporting him now he had regained a little strength. He was watching with wide eyes, his eyebrows meeting as he looked at the scene before him.

'Fili…' he muttered- his brother hadn't taken his eyes off him, for he couldn't look behind him, only listen. Fili nodded, equally dumbstruck.

'Turn the other one around- I want to see their faces when I tell them their fate!' the King roared.

Fili growled and kicked out as two goblins dragged him around; he heard Kili shout his name in protest, and it hurt him not see his brother, even for that split second.

They were now both facing their uncle and the three other dwarves.

His eyes widened when he saw the whip lying close to Thorin. Thorin noticed this and kicked it away; it skidded to the feet of the Goblin-King's great chair.

It looked down at it, and smiled. 'Where's the oil? It seems the only way to provoke action from these creatures is to give them a choice….'

Thorin's stomach dropped; he was sure of what was coming next, and it chilled him to the bone.

A goblin had arrived, clutching what looked like a large, dirty black bucket. It screeched and shrieked as it walked, wide eyes maliciously looking over Gloin, Noir and Bofur.

All three shrank back as it drew close; suddenly, it threw the contents over them- thick, glistening liquid splashed into their faces and onto their clothes; the vile smelling concoction made them struggle and retch.

The Goblin-King reached out and plucked a torch from the side of his chair, holding it deftly but lazily in its hands.

Thorin watched as it laughed, before it kicked the whip at him. The weapon flew through the air, before landing with a thud next to his feet. He looked down at it, eyes dark.

'Pick it up.' The Goblin-King's voice now held no humour, no joke. It was deadly, coldly serious.

Fili looked between the whip and his uncle, eyes wide with fear. 'Uncle….' He didn't know what to say. What were a few minutes of pain worth, when compared to the lives of three dear friends?

'Do it- do it to me, you must!'

'Fili I would never-'

'They will die if you don't!'

'You can't ask me to do this!'

'But I am! I'll even let you have this one free- I promise I won't get you back.' Fili said, supressing a smile.

'Fili….' He knew what his nephew was trying to do, but he wouldn't do it. Nothing was worth inflicting pain on his own kin.

'Your nephew is right- but he is also wrong; in order to save your friends, you must punish the liar. The youngest one gets the whip- or they burn.' The Goblin-King growled.

'NO! TAKE ME! Uncle take me, not Kili; he will not- he won't…..please Uncle!' Fili gasped, eyes wide as he looked across at his brother. Kili was silently shaking, his skin a pallid, grey colour- he wouldn't last another whip.

'I said pick it up!' Thorin jumped at the Goblin-King's words. He slowly bent, and picked up the whip, turning it over in his hands- he could see congealed and drying blood still upon it.

'….I won't do it.' He muttered, resolute.

'Then you have made your choice. Now they die….' The torch looked nearer to the three dwarves covered in oil.

'Wait! Please!' Fili yelled. 'Let me take it! Don't kill the others- I'll take it all!' he yelled, nodding to the King.

'Fili…' Kili murmured; his head was starting loll against the wood of the stock.

Thorin thought his heart would break, although he didn't see how that was possible. He gripped the whip in his hands, feeling the knuckles pop as he put pressure on them. What choice did he have?

He supressed a sob once more; he wanted to run.

He looked over at Kili, at his youngest nephew- if they didn't get out soon; he wasn't going to be getting out. This needed to be over- fast.

He took a deep, steadying breath, nodded to his oldest nephew, and turned back to the Goblin-King.

'I'll do it.' He growled, before stepping forwards just a little, and raising the whip to above his head.

'The youngest?' the Goblin-King barked.

'….the youngest.' Thorin nodded, eyes fixed on Kili.

He swallowed, heart beating so loud he could feel it in his ears.

Everything and everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Fili was looking on, horror-struck.

'I'm so, so sorry…'Thorin muttered, before he made his move…..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter up tomorrow!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone save the Dwarves as the Goblin-King continues his torture?

Bofur groaned as he tried to wipe the oil off his face; the stuff stank worse than Balin after eating mushrooms.

He was acutely aware of the torch that the Goblin-King was holding; he didn't like the way the beast kept swinging it around- didn't anyone ever tell him playing with fire was dangerous?

His eyes swivelled to his sides; Gloin was still fighting off the goblins that had grabbed ahold of them again after their little dousing, and Nori was in much the same position as before- shaking with his eyes closed.

He looked up at their leader; the whip was in his hands, and he was standing over Kili. He replayed the last few words they had shared, in the midst of the other dwarves. He cursed as he looked around; the plan wouldn't work if he was here…..

Thorin gripped the wood of the whip tightly in his hands; sweat was dripping from his palms, his stomach was fluttering with shock.

He looked across at his nephew; Fili was silently shaking his head, mouthing no over and over again- although his eyes never left the form of his brother.

Kili, who was slumped beneath him, tried to look up, but his face was at the wrong angle. 'Just…do it….' He managed to get out; Thorin saw blood spurt from his mouth. 'Thorin….just do it…..'

Thorin supressed a cry; he bit it back, anger resurfacing. He lowered the whip a little, shaking his head.

'No….no I can't….I can't…' he whispered, wiping his brow. He looked up at the Goblin-King, who had, for once, kept silent.

'No? Not going to do it, even for your friend's lives?' he raised his eyebrows and shrugged. 'Very well….' He lifted his hand, the torch was right on his fingertips- any moment now and it would slip…..

'Wait! Wait please!' Thorin cried. He cursed the goblin race, cursed them to hell- he chanced a look to the trio of dwarves behind the King, at one in particular.

Bofur shrugged, eyes wide- what could he do? It wasn't his choice to be dragged to the front.

Thorin nodded his head to the side, widening his eyes for a second. Unfortunately; he wasn't so inconspicuous with his looks.

The Goblin-King peered round, a sneer on his face. 'What are you doing?' he roared, looking from Bofur to Thorin.

'Never you mind!' Bofur growled, although he was very relieved that no-one heard him.

Back up by the stocks, Thorin took this moment of distraction to check on Kili; whose eyes had shut once more.

Fili tried to move forwards, eyes wide. 'Is he ok? Is he alive?' he asked, heart beating in his throat.

Thorin nudged his fingers under his nephew's chin, felt the weak pulse in his neck. He nodded, sitting back on his haunches as he ran a hand down his face. Fili closed his own eyes, relief flooding his body. 'Thank Durin….' He whispered.

Thorin had had enough. 'Let my friends' go- I'm warning you!' he growled, standing up, whip still in hand.

'Or what?' The Goblin-King countered, crossing its great arms. 'I've had enough of this- teach him how torture is really done!'

'What?' Thorin didn't have time to move; a goblin knocked him to the side with a punch to the face- he felt the whip being ripped from his hands.

Before he could move to reclaim the weapon a goblin grabbed him; he couldn't move save for kneel up. 'NO!' he screamed, as he watched the goblin advance on Kili with the whip.

'HAVE MERCY!' He heard Fili cry.

Thorin shook his head, fresh tears flowing.

'I told you there would be no mercy here! You had your choice- now you will see how we dish out punishments….' The Goblin-King spat, before raising his hand.

The great Goblin brought down the whip with such ferocity that Fili was sure his brother had broken. He screamed, long and drawn out as his brother didn't even wake. 'Please! Please for the love of Durin PLEASE!' he screamed, hands flexing to get to his brother.

The Goblin was just about to deliver another blow; he had lifted the whip, a smirk on its face….

'WAIT!' Thorin yelled, eyes dark. He was now stood amongst the goblins, arm outstretched.

'I'll do it.' He growled, eyes fixed on the Goblin-King as he turned.

'Fine.' The King spat, nodding his head to the goblin that held the whip.

The Goblins let him walk back to the stocks; everything had gone silent.

Fili held his breath as his uncle took back the whip; he didn't know what was going on, didn't know what to think. He only cared about his brother now.

Thorin held the whip deftly in his hands, turning it over again as if seeing it for the first time. He didn't even look at Kili; he knew his heart would break if he did that.

He was aware that the great goblin from before was still beside him; he could hear its breath, high and panting. Good.

He put his hands in the correct position for maximum damage; he had to make himself look convincing.

He had to do it properly, to appease the King.

He breathed out slowly, feeling every muscle in his body relax and slow. Finally; a feeling he recognised- the adrenaline before a battle; there was nothing in the world quite like it.

He exhaled even slower, eyes now roving the company, at Fili, and finally the three dwarves next to the king. His eyes met Bofur's; the two of them exchanged the look each one of them had been waiting for.

Finally, he turned, whip raised high. He brought it down- at the last possible second he bodily moved, the direction of his hit changing; the goblin got the Knout full in the face. It fell back, clutching its bleeding face, screeching.

Not even taking the time to breath, Thorin turned again, brandishing the whip like an old friend. He hit out again and again, at all the goblins near him; the sounds of the cracking whip now made him smile, the sight and smell of blood gave him renewed strength.

Back with the other two, Bofur yelled, launching himself forwards, smashing his head into the nearest goblin's skull. Gloin laughed manically, grabbing another and twisting its head till it broke with a dull pop. Together, along with Nori, they managed; by pure Dwarf rage, to beat and kill their captors. With a war cry and a laugh rolled into one, Bofur saw his fellow dwarves do the same- the Goblins were dropping like flies.

Up at the front, the Goblin-King was looking on, eyes wide. Thorin didn't even notice- he had dived for his weapon, kicking the pile into the direction of his company.

'Take up arms!' he roared to them as they bent to pick them up. 'Take them down!'

The roar that met his words sounded like music to his ears. He turned, suddenly enraged, at the goblins around them; he whirled his sword round, the glint in his eyes as he embedded it into the torso of a goblin.

An axe went crashing past him; a goblin, sword raised for his head behind him, fell backwards, twitching. He nodded at Bifur, who growled as he wrenched the axe from its head.

Fili was struggling in his stock; he tried kicking out at any goblin who might come his way- he only hoped he didn't get his legs broken, or trip any of the dwarves up.

'Thorin!' he yelped, for he now couldn't see anything, only the face of his brother; he wanted to get to him. He tried to turn his head. 'THORIN!' he screamed, voice cracking.

Suddenly, his eyes widened; a goblin had come into view, a broad knife in its hand- it had crept upon Kili, who was still unconscious against the stock.

He watched, not breathing, as it raised the blade high. Seconds later, a cry sounded, and someone barrelled into it, knocking it off its feet; they both went crashing to the floor.

'Get your hands off my nephew!' Thorin roared, using his own knife to cut its throat- blood spurted on his face. He growled as he pushed it away, spitting on the corpse.

'Thorin! Uncle!' Fili yelped. Thorin looked up and immediately ran to his oldest nephew. He pushed the heavy wood off his head and helped to steady him. Fili immediately made to move to his brother, but Thorin pulled him away.

'I need your help!'

'But- Kili…'

'Kili won't be getting out of here unless you help us!' Thorin growled, trying not to sound harsh. Fili felt anger rise again, but let it flow over him. His uncle was right.

He nodded, and ran to pick up his sword, Thorin nodded once, smiling, before they both dove into the fight, finishing off the last of the goblins that had held them captive.

The Goblin-King looked upon the scene, eyes wide. 'Kill them!' he roared to his goblins. 'They are merely dwarves! Kill them all!'

Fili, feeling an overwhelming sense of anger, looked for a weapon from the pile. He spotted a bow and arrow set on the floor; Kili's bow.

He took it up, fixing an arrow deftly into the weapon. He aimed silently, moving within good reach.

The Goblin-King looked at him, his face in the sight. 'What?! You can't do this! You-'it didn't even finish it's words. The arrow hit it between the eyes, knocking it off balance.

Not taking any chances, Fili took up another arrow, loosing it straight in the face; he was aiming for the actual eye, but then Kili was always the shooter between them.

The Goblin-King, finally un-throned, toppled forwards, hitting the floor with an almighty thud.

'That was for my brother!' Fili spat, eyes dark. 'Long live the king!'

He quickly put the bow to his back and ran to his brother, heart skittish. He fell to his knees; he lifted his brother's weak head. 'Kili….' He breathed.

The whole world seemed to slow, the colours meshing into one whirl of noise and darkness. He felt against his pulse like Thorin had. Nothing.

Panting, feeling tears erupting once more, he felt again , high up his neck; there! A pulse- it was weak, but it was there. Fili let his head gently fall onto Kili's; he savoured his brother then, thanking the world he was still breathing.

Finally he stood, and using all his strength, managed to pull the heavy wooden stock off his brother's form. Kili fell to the floor, but Fili was there, catching him before he hurt himself. He gently let him go to the floor; he looked around, trying to find something to wrap his wounds with, if only for now.

He spotted his cloak, matted with blood. Surely it didn't matter, he thought- he grabbed it, moving some of the worse stains off, before laying it across his brother. He felt Kili shudder beneath him, before he curled into the material. Fili let himself smile, and carded his fingers through his little brother's hair.

The battle was over- for now, Fili noticed; the majority of the goblins had been dispatched, the rest had fled when they realised that their king hand fallen. Thorin ran up, a cut to his face, but a victorious look in his eyes. They both knew the goblins would be back, with back-up.

'We need to get out of here…' Thorn growled, putting a hand on Fili's back. He nodded, and looked down at his brother. 'How are we going move him? He hasn't woken up.' He asked.

Thorin shrugged, 'Pick him up! Drag him- we need to move, now!' he hissed, before bending down to help support his nephew.

Nodding, Fili did the same; together they managed to move Kili so he was in a standing position.

'Move him so he's on my back.' Fili muttered.

'We might need you to fight-'

'-Kili needs me more!' Fili spat, eyes flashing. Sighing, Thorin nodded, and manoeuvred Kili so he was on his brother's back and shoulders; Fili hissed as his brother moved against his painful skin, but he tried to ignore the pain.

Thorin growled at the rest of the group, pointing to a hole in the cave where they had been taken. 'We go through there, and we don't stop moving until we come out into daylight! Let's go!' he commanded.

He looked across to Fili. 'You go first- I don't want you two left behind….' He muttered.

Fili nodded a thanks, and made his way to the cave, Kili resting on his back.

'Don't worry Kili….I've got you….' He whispered as they entered the darkness.

'…..I won't let you fall.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter up tomorrow!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Dwarves finally make their escape from Goblin Town, could Kili's troubles finally be over?

Outside the cave, a storm was brewing. Fili peered down into the dense forest below them, before looking up at the sky, hitching Kili further up his back.

Thick, black clouds hung dense in the sky, the rain was coming down in torrents; the ground was soaking. Flashes of lightening illuminated the trees, whilst periodic rounds of thunder made the ground shake.

Fili sighed, before he looked down below his feet; the mountainside was thick mud- he would slip if he stepped on it, and send himself and Kili to certain death on the rocks below. He very gently moved his shoulder blade upwards a little so it hit Kili's stomach; just to see if he was ok.

Fili listened, but there was no response. He growled in his throat, 'Hang on little brother, I'll see to you in a minute….' He promised, moving him up again, hissing in pain.

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder- Thorin stood next to him, a frown on his face. 'We make for those trees; we'll find a clearing or something- we need to get out of this rain!' he shouted amid a crash of thunder.

Fili felt his brother move against his back as though the noise had startled him. 'Thank Durin….' He whispered to himself- he wasn't carrying his dead brother on his back after all.

'How are we going to get down there?' he muttered, wind lashing rain into his face. 'I don't want to drop him.'

'I'll help carry him down- you take his head, I'll take his feet- the others can set up camp while we come down…' Thorin replied, before turning back to the rest of the company and giving them their instructions. Fili watched as they timidly started making their way down the mountainside, slipping and yelping as their feet went from under them.

He shot his uncle a quizzical look. 'I don't want him to fall.' He repeated, eyes wide as he tried to look to the trees; a dense fog had covered the high trees from view.

'He won't, trust me…' Thorin whispered, trying to smile.

Fili couldn't help himself; he snorted, before trying to turn it into a cough- he knew his uncle had heard, but at this moment he didn't care very much; he didn't have a very good track record of trustfulness of late.

Thorin bit back a retort, but let it wash over him. He instead held out his arms. 'Come on then, I'm not standing here forever!' he growled, waiting for Fili to put his brother down.

Fili sighed and gently bent down, letting Kili slowly slip from his back; he heard Kili groan, felt his fingers automatically clench into the back of his cloak.

'It's alright lad, I've got you…' Thorin muttered, taking hold of his nephew and holding him close to his chest, letting Kili's head fall onto his shoulder. He held him as gently as he could; when he took his hands away he still saw blood on his palms.

Fili quickly straightened up and took Kili from his uncle; he let Kili tuck his head into the crook of his neck as he lifted him- he nodded to his brother's legs for Thorin to do the same.

Thorin nodded, grabbing his nephew's legs and hoisting them from the sodden earth.

'We have to go slow…' he warned, looking down at the deluge of mud that awaited them when they stepped off the mountain.

Fili nodded in agreement, frowning to himself- this wasn't going to work, but he'd give it a try.

Together, they managed to move with Kili between them to the edge. 'His legs should go first…' Fili mused, waiting as Thorin nudged his way to the front, grunting with the weight of his legs.

'Don't drop him….' He whispered, teeth clenched as half his brother was held over the edge.

'Fili I will not drop him, I promise you.' Thorin said firmly, shaking rain out of his eyes. He looked behind him; the night was nearly upon them, the clouds blocking out the sunset.

Minutes passed, and gingerly the two of them managed to get a step or two down the mountain- Fili kept stopping and checking his footing, before wiping mud and rain off his brother's face as if he was about to drown.

Thorin also had to keep stopping, for he was walking backwards, and couldn't see where he was going at all. He sighed and growled with defeat, closing his eyes briefly.

'This won't work…..' he muttered, shrugging.

Fili sighed, looking about them- suddenly, an idea came into his head that made him smile.

'Thorin sit down!' he muttered, before looking down and doing the same, making sure Kili's head was secure.

'What? Why would I do that?' his uncle asked, eyes wide as he looked upon his nephew, sat in the mud.

'We can slide down! Like when we were kids- you used to do it as well, remember?' Fili grinned, rubbing comforting circles into his brother's shoulders and chest.

'Slide down? Are you mad?' Thorin asked, but he too supressed a small smile. He shrugged; it really seemed the only way.

He groaned as he moved upwards to sit next to Fili; Kili was now horizontal between them. Fili smiled at his uncle. 'Let's go then!' he grinned.

'….Let's go….' Muttered Thorin, before the two of them hitched up their knees, giving them some lift before they set off.

It was still slow going, but at least they were actually moving this time. Thorin muttered under his breath as he felt mud sliding onto his skin from his un-tucked shirt; he squirmed, but kept a firm hold on his nephew's legs.

Fili laughed out loud, both hands around his brother's face. He shot a look to his uncle. 'Kili would have loved this!' he shouted over the rain, before he looked down at Kili; he still hadn't opened his eyes.

Thorin nodded, smirking. He hoped he still would be able to enjoy it for many years to come. He felt something hard hit his stomach, but held it back.

Together they made their way down the mountain, amid the thick tide of mud that was making its gloopy journey down the side.

Thorin held Kili's legs tight, shivering- he hoped they wouldn't succumb to the cold, along with everything else that had happened to his family.

Soon enough, they finally slid their way to the foot of the mountain. Fili immediately sprang up, gently moving Kili's head and torso so he was more comfortable.

'I can take him from here…' he muttered to his uncle, giving Thorin a thankful smile as his uncle relinquished his hold on his nephew's legs.

Thorin helped him to get his brother back to his place atop Fili's back- he heard his nephew hiss with pain once more; he would make sure Fili was ok as well when they got to camp.

Suddenly, Fili stopped, eyes wide. 'Where's the burglar? Where's Bilbo?' he asked urgently, looking around them as if to spot him in the darkness.

Thorin supressed a snort; he settled for shrugging. 'Who knows? He bolted at the first sign of trouble- we're better off without him….' He growled, before he motioned for Fili to walk in front of him.

'We need to find him, Thorin; Gandalf will kill us if-'

'Gandalf?! Don't speak to me of the Wizard!' Thorin spat, eyes sparking with anger. 'Where was he when we needed him? Where?'

Fili sighed, nodding- this time he had to agree with his uncle; they could have done with some magical help back in Goblin-Town; Kili needn't have got so hurt if Gandalf was with them….

They slowly made their way into the forest copse, the tall, wide trees gave them adequate shade and shelter from the rain that was still lashing it's way in blankets over their heads.

Thick green hedges lined the chalky path they walked down- on one side was a hilly expanse of flooding fields, to the other was a clearing of trees; perfect to camp in and recuperate.

They kept an eye out for the other dwarves; Fili's back was now really starting to ache; he pushed his pain far from his mind- he knew, no matter how hurt he was, or how much pain he himself was in, Kili was in ten times worse pain.

The rain was numbing his fingers; he was glad Kili's face was against his neck- he could feel and hear his breath on his cheek as well as ensure he kept relatively warm against the harsh cold of the storm.

Thorin was just about to speak when they heard a voice carried in the wind. 'Thorin- Over here!' it was Balin, standing amid the other company, waving his hands at them.

'Thank Durin….' He breathed, putting a hand out to Fili to stop him; he nodded his head at the others- he saw his nephew's shoulders visibly slump with relief.

They made their way inside the copse; the rain lifted a little- the thick leaves of the high trees seemed to keep the wet out.

As they got nearer, they spotted a smaller figure between the group- Bilbo was back.

'At least we didn't lose him….' Fili muttered to himself; he heard Thorin growl beside him.

Fili grimaced as he felt Kili slip from his back; he heard his brother moaning in his ear, fingers slipping to his collar, nails digging into the flesh of his neck as he weakly fought to keep steady.

He quickly made his way to the group- Bofur dashed forwards before Thorin could do anything, putting his hands on the young dwarf's back to steady him.

'There you go laddie….let's get you down….' He muttered, as Thorin joined them- together the two older dwarves moved Kili's prone body from his big brother's back and gently put him to soft, warm and dry ground next to the fire.

'Get the sleeping mats out- he'll have to lay on his front whilst we look at his back.' Thorin ordered, looking around for their packs. The mat was laid down, and Kili was slowly rolled onto it.

Fili knelt next to his little brother; he moved wet hair from his eyes on the side of the face he could reach, numb fingers searching for a pulse once more.

'Don't worry, he's breathing.' Bofur smiled, his hat back on straight. Fili nodded in appreciation.

Beneath them, Kili's eyes started to flutter open; he groaned and tried to move; wide eyed, Fili yelped in surprise. 'Kili! You're awake!' he muttered, grinning despite himself.

He helped Kili to roll onto his back, and let him gently fall against his chest in a sitting position. He buried his head into his brother's chest, whimpering in pain.

'Hurts….Fili….' he managed to get out. Fili swallowed emotion, and rubbed his brother's shoulder.

'I know Kili, I know…' he soothed, rubbing circles into his skin like he did when he had a nightmare when they were children.

'I want to go home; I don't want to be here….' He sobbed, sniffling into his brother's chest.

'You know we can't.' Fili reminded him, hugging his brother close- he looked at their uncle; Thorin's eyes were shining and glassy as he looked upon them.

Kili fell silent for a while; Fili was sure he was asleep, but then- 'I want mum…..' he cried suddenly; he lifted his head to look at his brother- Fili looked down into his wide, deep brown eyes, at the tears welled in the corners.

'She- she's…' he tried to find the words.

'He's hallucinating, the pain….' Balin whispered, putting a hand on Thorin's shoulder, for he had started to shake.

'Where's mum?' Kili asked, looking around in his brother's arms like a lost child.

Fili felt tears drip from his own eyes. 'She's dead Kili- remember?' he said, voice high and cracking.

Seconds passed, and Fili's heart broke as he looked upon changing emotion right before his eyes in his brother's face. Confusion turned to shock, shock turned to denial, and finally, shaking his head, Kili buried his head into Fili's neck, shaking.

'How did he forget?' Thorin muttered, a hand upon his nephew's side to comfort him.

'He hasn't, he just wanted comfort- he'll remember when he wakes up properly…' Balin reassured him, before he stood, groaning.

'Let's get some water on- we need to clean those wounds before infection sets in, yours as well, Fili.' He said, before walking to the fire.

'Just do enough for Kili; I'll sort myself out later…' Fili muttered, arms tight against his brother. He rocked him silent from side to side; chin resting on his head as Kili presumably slept against his chest.

He started to hum quietly, just something and nothing- anything to comfort his little brother.

'Don't ignore your wounds, boy.' Thorin warned, sidling closer.

'I'm not.' Fili muttered, before giving his brother a shaky smile. 'He'll be ok though, won't he?' he asked.

'If we get his wounds cleaned and dressed properly- he may need help from the wizard, if he ever turns up….'

Fili nodded. Maybe Gandalf had something that could speed up the process.

'Will you be ok looking after him? Should we take watches?' Thorin asked, looking down at his nephew with concerned eyes.

Fili shook his head. 'Nah, I'll watch over him tonight, until the water is ready for cleaning his wounds.' He looked across at the boiling water on the fire- it shouldn't be too long now, then he could get Kili sorted and changed into fresh warm clothes.

Thorin nodded, and stood up. 'I'll go wait for the Wizard, see what everyone is up to- I'll be back soon, ok?' he looked down at the two of them, eyes wide. He didn't really want to go, but he didn't want to sit around doing nothing at the same time.

Fili nodded, arms still tight around Kili, who had seemed to relax a little. As Thorin made to walk off, Fili called him back. 'Thorin, thank you.' He muttered. 'I was wrong back there, and on the mountain….'

Thorin cut off him with one hand. 'We'll talk about this another time, Kili doesn't need this, and neither do you- just try and regain some strength, and we'll get you both sorted soon.' He muttered, before flashing his nephew a smile.

Fili nodded slowly, before putting his chin back on his brother's head.

Thorin walked off and sat down next to Balin; he made sure he had Fili and Kili in his eyeline at all times- he wasn't going to be caught out again.

Fili relaxed back against the large tree, gently bringing Kili with him. He closed his eyes and listened to his brother's short, pained breaths- even though they sounded painful, it was the sweetest music he had ever heard.

Fixing his arms around his brother and rocking him once more, he resumed his humming, the sounds echoing through the silence of the company- now they were just waiting on the wizard…

….he only hoped he wasn't far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, there is LOTS more to come! Next chapter up tomorrow!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some comfort for Kili!

Fili felt his brother move weakly on top of him; he relaxed a little, arm hanging loosely on Fili's leg, fingers curling onto the material slightly. He heard him groan, deep and long, saw his face contort in pain.

'Hey….we're nearly ready to get you sorted- let's get you back on your front to make it easier….' Fili whispered, taking his chin off Kili's head and gently pushing him away onto the mat. Kili moaned, shaking his head. 'No, want to stay here…' he muttered; Fili could just imagine the pout on his face.

'Come on, heavy; we can't deal with you on top of me, can we? He smiled, deft hands quickly but gently moving him off him.

Kili blew air from his teeth, pain lancing through his back. He didn't want to move- he wanted to stay attached to his brother forever. Safe. Secure. Together.

Nevertheless, he allowed himself to be moved so he was laying on his front; he shivered as Fili took off the cloak that had been protecting his back from the elements. The material caught on congealing blood, making him gasp and wince as his skin protested.

Fili sucked in his breath, swallowed emotion, as he looked upon his brother's injuries. He realised Kili must have noticed, for he tried to turn round, a frown on his face.

'Is it bad?'

'It's….well…..' Fili didn't know what to say. A dozen, maybe more, thin, snake-like cuts trawled their way down his brother's skin. His back was red raw, blood still oozing from the deep lacerations inflicted by the whip. He felt his heart sink, a sick feeling creeping into its place, as he saw weeping scarlet slowly making its way down Kili's back.

'Fili….' His brother moaned, voice heightened as pain danced in his body. Fili put a hand on the small of his back, where there wasn't as much blood. 'Be still, brother- I'll get the water.' He said, before standing.

'No….don't go…' Kili groaned, trying to move.

Fili felt his heart breaking once more. 'I'll be a second, I promise- I'm not going anywhere.' He promised, taking Kili's hand and squeezing. 'I promise you.' He whispered.

Kili nodded, tears in his eyes. 'Wh- what if they come back?' he breathed, eyes wide, scared.

'I won't let them get anywhere near you- I will kill every last one with my bare hands, till they litter the forest floor, before they even know you're here. Now rest, I'll be back soon.' Fili said, voice now strong. He pushed hair from his brother's eyes once more before forcing himself to move.

Thorin stood as he approached, eyes searching. 'How is he?'

'More awake and alert- I need the water, and some fresh bandages.' Fili replied, looking around.

'I'll do it lad- I know how to clean wounds to make sure no infection gets in.' Balin smiled, already carrying the water.

'That's alright- see to Thorin, his face needs cleaning as well.' Fili muttered, moving to take the water.

Thorin growled. 'Let Balin do it- he says he knows how.'

'I'm not stupid, I know-'

'We don't want you two getting infected.'

'He's my brother!' Fili growled, feeling irritation flare.

'And he's my nephew!'

'Oh, decided he's worth saving now?' Fili retorted, cheeks red.

Thorin's eyes widened. 'Fili, please-'

'Please nothing! Let me do it- at least he can depend on me….' Fili growled, before taking the water off Balin. He averted his eyes as the older Dwarf stared at him, but walked away regardless.

Thorin sighed, feeling his world tilting. Balin put a hand on his shoulder. 'Don't worry, Thorin- he'll come round. He needs time; this has scared him….'

'And you think it didn't scare me? I nearly lost them both!' Thorin growled, moving away from his friend. He stalked off to sit by a large tree, alone.

Back by his brother, Fili sat down and began to prepare the cloths. He heard someone draw near- he hoped it wasn't Balin.

He felt a prickle of embarrassment in his face- he shouldn't have been so rude.

He looked to his side; alas, it wasn't Balin. It was Bilbo.

The Hobbit peered round his shoulder. His face paled when he looked upon Kili's wounds. His eyes darted to Fili. 'Is….is he going to be alright?' he whispered, concern on his face.

'I hope so.' Fili muttered, putting a hand on Kili's head, stroking his hair with his thumb. Kili had stopped moving again. 'You asleep?' he muttered, looking to his face.

Kili moaned and shook his head. 'Can't sleep- it hurts too much.' Was his reply.

'Ok, nearly done- I need to clean the wounds…' he was just about to talk to the Hobbit again, but found that he had gone.

He looked to beyond Kili- the Hobbit had laid down opposite his little brother, their faces close.

'You'll be fine.' He heard him say. 'Just a few scratches, that's all.'

Fili smiled despite himself; the Hobbit was very optimistic. He gently dipped the cloth in the warm water and ringed it out.

'This is going to hurt….' He whispered, face set.

Bilbo nodded, eyes darting from Kili to Fili. He guessed a distraction from pain would be helpful here….

He prodded a finger into Kili's forehead- the dwarf's eyes fell on him, mouth slightly open. 'Have I…. ever told you the story of the time my cousin had a huge party for his birthday?' he asked, mouth turning up.

Kili frowned, before shaking his head a bit. 'Don't think so….' He muttered, back tensed- he knew what was coming.

'Ha! Well, what a story it is…..' Bilbo smiled, eyes darting to Fili. The older dwarf had the cloth ready.

'So- he had a party for his birthday- you must remember, Hobbits don't usually do big parties; not really. Only the most important of Hobbits got a party, and he, well…..wasn't-'his words were drowned out by a loud moan and a contorted dwarf as Kili's back was cleaned.

'Oh, stop Fili- Please!' he begged, finger's scrabbling.

'I can't, don't want you getting infected….' Fili muttered, putting the cloth back into the bowl; red water inked out into the clean liquid.

'I won't, I promise!' Kili said, before an agonised scream escaped his lips as Fili attacked his skin with the cloth once more. 'By the love of Durin stop!' He yelped, feeling tears erupt.

'I'm sorry brother….' Fili whispered, tears in his own eyes as he cleaned his back. The wounds were now so raw he could barely look at them- he didn't want to imagine how Kili felt.

Bilbo looked on, his eyes wide. 'Anyway- my cousin's birthday party….' He didn't notice Kili give him a look that plainly said you're not helping. 'He got so drunk that he almost fell in the pond, scared all the ducks…. We caught him eating carrots from Farmer Maggot's fields- the brute chased us all, pitchfork in hand! We hid behind some bushes, onions stuffed in our pockets!' Bilbo chuckled.

He smiled as he heard Kili laugh weakly, his face screwed from pain. As least he was being some help.

Fili also smiled, appreciating every word. It was certainly making his job easier. Most of the blood was now off, the wounds were looking a lot better. He didn't like his brother in pain, especially when he was the one inflicting it- but he had to make sure that he wouldn't get infections in the cuts.

He winced as pain flared in his own back; he must make sure that someone looked at it.

'Right, I'll bandage you up- then we'll get you into fresh clothes before I do your face.' He whispered, before grabbing the bandages, shooting the Hobbit a smile.

Bilbo nodded, looking with concern at the young Dwarf. He hated seeing people in pain, especially people younger than him- it made his paternal feelings come through; not that he would have kids, but an Uncle wasn't bad.

'You want another story?' he muttered, smiling across at the dwarf, Kili didn't answer; he groaned, eyes squeezed shut. Bilbo took that as a yes.

'One time I was down The Green Dragon- a pub in Bywater- and I'm ashamed to say I had rather too many ales….. I only remember waking up in the middle of a water-logged field in nothing but my walking boots, a blank map and my walking stick my only company!' he laughed.

Kili snorted, and then wished he hadn't- he felt warm blood make its way down his face as the three cuts to his face opened with the movement.

'Maybe we should give the funny stories a rest now?' Fili interjected, looking with concern as his brother whimpered.

'Right. Yes, sorry….' Bilbo sat up, scratching his head.

Fili smiled at him before grabbing a pile of Kili's clothes. 'I think he might want some privacy.' He muttered, raising an eyebrow.

Bilbo nodded once, standing immediately. 'Of course, I'll just be….over…..there….' he muttered, pointing to a tree.

'Thanks.' Fili grinned, before reaching down and hoisting Kili up a little. 'You want help, or you think you can do it yourself?' he asked, helping him sit a bit more comfortably.

'Um, I'll do as much as I can….' Kili said, closing his eyes in pain.

'….I don't mind, you know. It's no burden.' Fili said softly.

'It's not that, it's….' Kili gestured round himself, feeling his cheeks redden.

'Pft, Kili- we're brothers, I basically brought you up- don't you think I've seen everything before?' he chuckled, before laughing as Kili weakly hit out, a small smile on his face.

'Shut it.' He muttered, rolling his eyes.

Fili took the cloth once more, conscious of the blood falling down his brother's face. He gently wiped it away, mouth tight.

'I'm sorry.' Kili whispered, eyes shining once more.

'What? Why?' Fili breathed, sitting closer.

'For not doing more to get out- for being weak….' Kili muttered, voice cracking.

'Weak? Kili- you were so brave I couldn't believe it. I wish I was as strong as you….' Fili replied, putting a hand on his brother's cheek, meaning every word. 'I was so proud of you.' He whispered.

'Thanks….' Kili sniffed, before giving his brother a small smile.

'Let's get you dressed and warm- you can try and sleep afterwards….' Fili smiled, before he stood, holding out Kili's shirt. 'Right, let's go…..'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Around an hour later, and Kili was clean, dry, and laying down next to his brother, swathed in bandages on his back and his face. The other dwarves had retired for the night, the fire was burning into embers, the flashes and crackles making him jump ever y so often. Nothing moved.

He turned awkwardly on his front.-He looked around the darkened forest clearing, eyes wide, heart jumping.

Was that eyes in the darkness? He was sure he heard shrieks in the air- he curled his fingers into his brother's shirt, brushing his chest. He felt Fili tense, and a hand placed itself on his shoulder.

'What's the matter?' he whispered, alert.

'N- nothing. Just seeing things in the dark….' Kili muttered, but he wouldn't let go of his brother. Fili breathed out and moved closer.

He pulled his brother close. 'Just sleep, everything will look better in the morning….' He whispered, rubbing circles into his brother's arm.

'Will it?' Kili's voice sounded high, child-like. Hoping.

'I promise….' Fili replied, before he shushed his brother and they both lay still.

'Thank you.' Kili muttered into the darkness.

'What for?' Fili replied, frowning.

'For getting me out. For saving me.'

'Oh Kili….you don't need to thank me- that's what big brothers are supposed to do.' Fili smiled, squeezing his brother's shoulder gently. 'Now sleep, before I beat you.' He quipped, grinning.

He heard Kili snort, before moaning.

'It'll be better in the morning…' he whispered, whether for his own mind or for Kili's, he didn't know.

He felt Kili nod beside him, face to the ground. Fili breathed out, looking to the cloudless sky; tomorrow he would talk to Thorin, but not tonight. Tonight he was his brothers'. Tonight he only had one priority. He wouldn't be sleeping a wink then.

xxxxxxxx

The clouds had finally moved; the moonlight shone through the trees, sending dappled light onto the dew covered grass.

Thorin watched a rabbit hop over to a large flower, its brown fur tinged with grey in the darkness. It sat silently, nibbling the plant with wide eyes. He probably could have taken it- it might've made a filling supper, but Thorin felt nothing but lethargy and tiredness in his bones.

He felt weighted, crushed, with what had happened. He looked across at his nephews; Kili was huddled close to his brother, Fili's arm was draped over him as if protecting him from the world.

He sighed to himself. He should have done more- if he had acted instead of being so selfish, so self-righteous.

He coughed- what could he have done? He would have ended up in Fili's place, or maybe even dead. But still, he should have been strong enough to protect the only remaining family he had.

He turned his head as a twig snapped. The rabbit in front of him bolted, back into the trees.

Thorin stood silently, hand to the hilt of his sword. He quickly stepped into the shadows, into the direction of the noise.

He took out his sword, Orcrist, and, bent low, made his way to the noise. The leaves of the trees scattered as someone walked passed, more twigs snapped as whatever is what pressed its weight upon them.

He stared into the gloom, ears primed for movement; he almost wished Fili were here.

Seconds later, the figure stepped into view. Without looking he launched at it, sword high and flashing in the moonlight- another sword answered, the sound of crashing iron was almost deafening.

'Thorin, it's me!' Came a gruff voice.

Thorin looked up, eyes wide, as Gandalf peered down at him.

'Gandalf!' he growled, putting away his sword. 'I could have done you some serious damage.'

'You could have, but I heard you five minutes ago- I anticipated your every move.'

'I could have killed you….'

'Well….' Gandalf shrugged.

'I wanted to.' Thorin's eyes flashed in the moonlight. Gandalf frowned, eyes narrowed.

'And why would you want to do that?' he asked, standing to his full height.

'Where were you when we needed you? Why didn't you come? Kili nearly died!' Thorin spat, emotion was rising in his chest.

'I'm sorry Thorin-'

'Sorry isn't good enough! You came with us to help us, not to walk off and not come to our aid- what do I have to do, chain you to my horse?'

'Thorin Oakenshield, do not make the mistake you are my only priority on this quest! I said I would help but I was waylaid!' Gandalf growled, eyes dark and dangerous; Thorin stepped back, shocked.

'I- I'm sorry…it's been a long day.' Thorin wiped a hand down his face; tiredness was kicking in. He also wanted to see his nephews, to see if they were alright.

'I apologise for my lateness, I truly am. But I am here now- what happened?' Gandalf asked, worried eyes looking down at the Dwarf-Prince.

'Long story- I'll fill you in as we walk back.' He muttered, his muscles ached and he dearly wanted to sit down.

'Let's go then.' Gandalf replied; together they walked back to the other dwarves, Thorin making short work of the story.

Back with his brother, Fili was still awake. He had moved to lie on his side, and was now watching his little brother intently; Kili was in fitful sleep, jerking and muttering, eyes rolling behind the lids.

He put a hand on his head to calm him, used his thumb to draw circles in his temple- it always relaxed him when they were children.

'Sleep….' He whispered, relaxing next to his brother.

'I'll be here when you wake up, I promise….'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter up soon!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! someone told me that I posted the same chapter twice....oops! This is the real next chapter, and sorry again!

The next morning, Kili woke up at first light- the early morning sun had hardly peeped into the forest before he was stirring. The wind was now cold on his skin; he felt goose-bumps erupt on his exposed flesh.

He winced as his unused muscles in his shoulders and back protested against the movement of him trying to sit up.

He growled and sucked in breath as pain flared in his back- he felt stiff, tired.

Sitting as well as he could, fixed awkwardly on his forearms, he looked around; Fili was on his front, facing away from him. Kili smiled as he heard him snoring lightly.

He looked around at the other dwarves- they were huddled in a group, snoring and groaning in sleep. Bilbo was lying on his mat away from them, and with a thrill in his heart he saw Gandalf was also here- when had he arrived?

Frowning, he looked for his Uncle- where was Thorin?

Suddenly, he felt a presence on his other side. 'You should be resting, don't want you getting overtired.' His Uncle muttered, his thick travelling cloak in hand; he draped it over Kili like a blanket before sitting down next to him.

He leaned in close, his breath fogging into white smoke between them as he breathed out deeply. 'How- how are you?' he asked quietly, not looking at his nephew.

Kili tried to shrug, but found it too painful- he settled for raising his eyebrows. 'I'll live. Can't ask for more than that.' He muttered. He dropped his gaze as Thorin shot him a look. 'I'm fine….it hurts still…' he whispered, dropping the bravado.

Thorin nodded, muttering under his breath. 'Shouldn't have come to that….' Kili heard him whisper to himself.

He frowned, and hoisted himself to sit a little more. 'This wasn't your fault- you didn't tell that Goblin-King to do this.' He said, prodding his uncle in the shoulder. 'You put too much pressure on yourself….'

Thorin shook his head, feeling emotion in his throat as his beaten-back worries and fears threatened to tumble from his mouth. 'Perhaps, but I should have been there for you- and your brother.' He said, looking across Kili to his brother; Fili was still sound asleep, oblivious.

'You were.' Kili didn't remember much; he knew he had blacked out for some of the whippings, but what he did remember was his Uncle's voice, strong above the others. 'You fought for us, you saved us.'

'Barely- look at you, you can barely move. Fili hates me, and I don't blame him…..I worried too much about the quest, about Erebor…'

'He doesn't hate you! He never could, and neither could I.' Kili said, voice high. 'No matter what you thought- you still came through…..that makes you a better dwarf than you believe you are.' He smiled at his Uncle. Thorin looked into his eyes, feeling the emotions of doubt and worry slowly slip away, but only a little.

'Aye, you never did have any doubt about me, did you Kili?' he asked, smiling slightly.

'Never.' Kili replied.

They both turned as Fili groaned and stretched. 'Someone's awake!' Kili quipped, before he smiled- the cuts on his face still pained him, even beneath the bandages.

He watched as his brother rose methodically; scratching his head, his back, and finally sitting up, wiping his face. The same every morning.

Fili's eyes fell onto their uncle on the other side of Kili. 'Morning.' He muttered, before resting a hand on Kili's leg. 'You ok?' he whispered, stretching.

'I'll live.' Kili replied, moving his shoulder blades and wincing. He blew breath from clenched teeth; felt beads of sweat appear on his head as he tried to manoeuvre himself to get ready to stand.

'Whoa, where are you going?' Thorin muttered, jumping up and grabbing his arm, Fili already up on his other side.

'Well, I'm not laying there like some sort of stuck animal today- We still have to move on soon, and it's going to be hard if I can't move…' Kili muttered, eyes shut against the pain as his muscles started to work; he could almost feel his skin ripping.

'Maybe you should just rest a little more?' Fili ventured, giving his brother a worried look. 'We'll try after breakfast, ok?'

'….ughhh…fine….' Kili slowly moved back down, defeated by the agony that was his back.

'If I ever see a goblin again, it's dead.' He grimaced, heart racing.

'Join the queue lad….' Thorin muttered; he still had a hand on Kili's forearm. He hated seeing his youngest nephew like this, it tore him apart.

Fili nodded in agreement; Kili looked up at him, a frown dancing on his face. He noticed his brother was very pale, and he was also shaking ever so slightly.

'Are you alright?' he whispered so only he could hear him.

'Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?'

Kili raised his eyebrows, as if the answer was obvious. Fili shrugged, smiling down at his little brother. 'I'm just a bit tired is all, been up watching over you all night haven't I?' he said, prodding Kili in the cheek, smiling.

'Oh. Thanks….' He muttered, settling back down with a groan.

'What have I told you about thanking me?'

'Sorry.'

Thorin smiled at his nephew's conversation. It made him feel just that little bit better to hear them talking like normal again. He looked across to his oldest, giving him a pointed look.

'Can I have a word?' he said, before giving Kili a comforting smile. 'We won't be long….'

'Pft, be as long as you like- I'm not going anywhere!' Kili chuckled, watching as Fili and his uncle walked over to a glade of trees.

He settled back against his sleeping blanket; however he was all done with sleep for the day. His back burned, like tiny needles were dancing on the skin.

Fili didn't look at his uncle as they stopped beneath a large oak tree; the forest was eerily quiet in the early mornings, like it had just awoken from death; it barely stirred, before life started to come out of hiding.

'Yeah?' he muttered. He desperately wanted to talk, but at the same time, in the same breath, he wanted to shout, to yell and scream and holler- he wanted someone to understand, and it didn't feel like to him that Thorin did.

Thorin bristled at the tone, but took a deep breath and carried on. 'You spoke out of turn yesterday.' He started. 'You should have let Balin tend to Kili, you gambled with his life by doing it yourself.'

Fili opened and close his mouth, incredulous. 'I did what I deemed best at the time. Kili is fine- although I'm sorry for disrespecting Balin; I'll apologise later….' He averted his eyes, shame in his mind as he thought back to the conversation.

Thorin nodded. He looked at his nephew- Since when did he look so mature? Was it really the last couple of days that had turned him into this grown dwarf; he felt his heart skip a little at that. They were still children to him, still too young to understand the world and its suffering.

Now, he realised- they did know.

He would have given anything in the world to keep them innocent.

Fili looked up, frowning as his uncle swallowed and turned his head away. 'Thorin? Uncle….' He muttered, stepping forwards. 'Yesterday, I was wrong- so wrong. I have never spoken to you as I did then, and I bitterly regret it. You do care, I see it now- I just felt overwhelmed. Alone. I could have lost the only person that makes me me, and that scared me. It scared me so much I don't even-'

Fili couldn't speak any more, for Thorin had crossed the gap between them and bundled him into an embrace.

He put his arms around his uncle, grateful for the human, comforting contact. He buried his head into his uncle's shoulder, feeling tears erupt again.

Thorin squeezed tightly, not wanting to let go. 'I know Lad….I know….' He muttered, voice thick.

'But he's here, he's fine, and he's not going anywhere- I promise.' He whispered into his blonde hair.

'Do you trust me?' he muttered, heart aching for the answer.

Without missing a beat, without even thinking about it, Fili nodded. 'Of course I do, Uncle…'

Thorin closed his eyes; his nephews did trust him after all. Now they could start again.

He released Fili, the both of them grinning dopily as they looked at each other's teary faces. 'Not a word to the Hobbit.' Thorin warned, finger raised at Fili.

Fili held his hands up, smiling. 'My lips are sealed.' He grinned.

'They better be! Come; let's go see what Bofur is doing for breakfast.'

'If he's even up…'

'Aye- if not, you can jump on him.' Thorin chuckled, feeling a hundred times better than he ever remembered feeling.

Together they walked back to the others; Kili smiled crookedly at them, waving slowly.

'Thought you two were never coming back….' He said, before trying to stretch. 'I wish the cook would hurry up, I'm starving!'

Fili grinned and looked around; everyone was still asleep, or just stirring. Bofur's head was buried in a pile of leaves, and he was snoring for Middle-Earth.

'I guess this makes me cook!' he smiled, before looking between his uncle and his brother. 'Sausages and Eggs for three then? We'll get the best stuff first!' he grinned, before diving for the food pack.

Kili chuckled, and then winced as his face lanced with pain. He couldn't even put a hand to his cheek as the movement made his back hurt. 'He's such an idiot…' he muttered, before sitting back.

'Yes, but he's an idiot that will do anything for his family- that makes him a special idiot.' Thorin chuckled, before standing.

'A special idiot….I'll tell him you said that!' Kili replied, looking up with renewed shine in his eyes. He looked more like himself with every passing minute.

Thorin put a hand on his head. 'I'm going to speak to Gandalf, get an idea of where we will go next- I'll be back soon.' He promised, before walking off.

'Sure.' Kili replied, watching as he went. Pretty soon his brother was back with the food, and the two of them tucked in to their eggs and sausages; Thorin's plate was getting cold.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After breakfast, Kili finally felt like he had enough energy to try and stand. Thorin had come back from talking to Gandalf and the other dwarves, and was now standing beside him, holding out his arms. 'Steady….don't go too fast all at once.' He muttered, looking at his every move with his teeth set on edge.

'Uncle, I'm fine, it's just standing….' Kili smiled, but he was grateful for the help from him and his brother- standing up felt like he had been doused in flames; his back had erupted in agony, and it too all his strength not to cry out. Fili had taken his other hand, and was squeezing gently, but not speaking-Kili saw a thin sheen of sweat on his face, as well as a red tinge to his skin.

He felt sweat on his own face once more as he finally managed to get into a standing position. His back felt raw; he could feel liquid pooling into his bandages on both his head and his back- he hoped they had a good supply.

Bilbo walked slowly towards them; Kili was grateful to see a familiar face. 'I'm up!' he smiled, feeling absurdly proud. He heard Fili snort beside him, and would have elbowed him in the side if he didn't know it would hurt so much- but he did, so he didn't.

Bilbo grinned and clapped a few times, trying to make the dwarf feel better. He caught Thorin's eye and stopped. 'That's great, that really is- do you think you might be able to walk now then?' he asked, trying to say something helpful.

'Oh, I don't know about that- it hurts just to stay still.' Kili muttered, before pain made its point and he winced.

'Ah. I'm sorry I wasn't with you when they- when they….'

'Where were you?' Thorin asked sharply, not taking his eyes off his nephew.

'I, I fell….and, found another way out.' Bilbo said carefully, hand making his way to his pocket.

'What could you have done had you been there? Taken the whip off them?' Fili chuckled, putting a supporting hand on the small of his brother's back to steady him as he started to sway.

'Well, quite….' Bilbo scrabbled for words. He suddenly moved his head, ears pricked up. 'Was- was that Gandalf calling me?'

'Don't think so….' Kili replied. He hadn't heard a thing.

'Yes, I think it was…..I think I'll go and see what he wants….' Bilbo muttered, and he ran off, thanking his excellent escaping skills.

'Strange creature.' Thorin growled, before looking his nephew up and down. 'Do you want to try to stand, or you want to try that later?'

'Later, I think…..I think my back wants a rest.' Kili knew dwarves were meant to be hardy, strong creatures- but his body was killing him, and he was only too happy to play along.

Thorin helped him sit down, while Fili still stood still.

As he sat, Kili looked up with wide eyes. Fili still hadn't moved- he reached up and grabbed his hand, squeezing lightly. He hand was cold. 'Fili? Fili?' he muttered.

Suddenly Fili started to shake even more, before he fell to his knees, eyes closed in pain.

'FILI!' Kili shouted; Thorin was to his side in an instant. His eyes widened and he yelped as he turned Fili over- his eyes were rolling, his mouth opening and closing with silent screams.

'Fili? What-'he didn't understand what was going on…..

'What's happening? What's happening to him?' Kili asked, voice high and cracking. He couldn't lose him. Not now. Not after everything….


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's Hurt!Fili in this chapter, alongside a good helping of guilty Thorin and Kili just being the typical little brother....enjoy!

Gandalf turned his head, frowning, as he heard a young voice cry out from between the trees. From his position on a log away from the dwarves he couldn't actually see them, but he heard one in particular loud and clear.

He put his pipe out and jumped up, eyes wide. What was going on? He raced to the direction of the noise, eyes fixed on three dwarves as he came near. Thorin was bent low over what he presumed was either Fili or Kili- stepping closer he could see it was the former.

He put a hand on the older dwarf's shoulder, gently moved him out of the way so he could see better. 'What happened?' he barked, putting a cool hand on the young dwarf's forehead; his skin was almost too hot to touch, yet his face was clammy.

'I- I don't know.' His brother answered, eyes wide and scared. 'One minute he was fine and suddenly…'

'He didn't let anyone take care of his wounds!' Thorin barked from beside him, before he ran a hand down his face. 'I told him….' He muttered.

'Is he going to be alright?' Kili asked, watching as Fili started to moan. 'Oh no….' he cried, his hand darting out to grab his brother's. 'Come on, don't do this to me. Don't leave me….' He whispered, bringing his hand up to his cheek, despite the pain it caused in his back.

This couldn't be happening, not now. Fili moaned once more, the shudders becoming even more pronounced now; Kili watched, eyes wide as he looked on.

'What should we do?' he heard Thorin bark out, his voice laced with fear.

Gandalf turned his head away for a second, motioning behind him. 'In my pack there is a long tube of white liquid, bring it to me.' He replied, before turning back to Fili, gently turning him over and peeling back his shirt.

Kili felt bile rise in his throat as he looked at his brother's skin- the flesh was now a mottled black and blue; clear pus was running in rivets down his skin. The smell made him gag, but he forced himself to watch. 'How did it happen so fast?' he breathed, watching with wide eyes as Gandalf gently blew cool air onto his skin.

'Goblin-Towns are not the most hygienic of places- and dwarven skin, especially yours and Fili's are not accustomed to the different bacteria and germs that reside there…he should have had someone look at his wounds.'

'I should have told him more…' Kili muttered, angry with himself.

'Oh, Kili- you were hurt, and badly by all accounts. You couldn't have done anything- the stubbornness of dwarves is what has caused this. Thankfully we may have caught it in time….'

Kili's head snapped up, eyes wide. 'May have? What do you mean may have?' he cried, voice high. He looked down at Fili, before lying down next to him, ignoring the pain lancing through his back. He pushed his forehead against the bare skin of his brother's, closing his eyes as he felt his brother's clammy, hot skin against his own. Fili's eyes fluttered behind his lids, and he started to moan low in his throat.

'What's happening to him?' he asked the Wizard- Gandalf had sat back, before he accepted the tube of cream that Thorin had got for him. He didn't answer as he unscrewed the bottle and immediately squeezed most of the white liquid onto Fili's back.

Kili felt his brother tense against his face as the cool cream hit his skin- he looked up as Gandalf gingerly rubbed it into his blistered, black flesh.

Fili groaned beside him, his fingers flexing; Kili took his hand and squeezed gently, feeling happiness soaring as Fili squeezed weakly back.

'It's alright, you're going to be ok- Gandalf's here….' He whispered, feeling tears in his eyes as Fili winced, a low groan again escaping his lips.

Kili looked at what the Wizard was doing; Gandalf was gently pushing the cream thickly around his back, letting it slowly sink into the flesh instead of rubbing it into the raw skin.

Kili felt his brother try and move away; he put his head further into his brother's hair, 'It's ok, it doesn't hurt, it's just cold….' He whispered into the blonde hair, trying to reassure him like Fili had done to him. Time for him to be the big brother now.

Fili nodded slowly, his eyes opening and closing without seeing. 'Kili….' He heard him whisper, and clammy fingers sought his hand out- Kili took his hand and squeezed again, grateful that he was now more lucid.

Gandalf was now muttering under his breath whilst wiping the excess cream onto the grass beside him. Kili looked up at his uncle; Thorin was close to him, a worried hand to his face as he looked upon his stricken nephew.

He watched as he looked up at Gandalf, eyes wide. 'So? Is he going to be ok?' he asked.

The Wizard looked between Thorin and Kili, and then smiled. 'He is- but he needs to be taken care of properly this time! His wounds need changing once the bandages are put on, as do Kili's. They both need rest and recuperation, to let their wounds heal properly.' He ordered gruffly.

He turned back to Thorin. 'We need a fire going near Fili, and all the heavy cloaks and warm things we can spare- he needs to sweat out this fever; this is something that cannot be undone by my magic at the moment. His wounds are safe and clean, with no lasting infection- let's keep it that way, hmm?' he muttered, before he stood with a groan, placing a hand on Thorin's shoulder.

'Look after them…' he whispered, smiling knowingly at the dwarf-prince.

'Of course I will.' Thorin replied, before taking the Wizard's place next to his eldest nephew.

Together he and Kili watched over Fili, silently studying and noting every groan, moan and sigh- they weren't going to let anything happen to him without them noticing again.

'Why didn't we see? We should have noticed no one had cleaned his wounds; I should have realised.' Kili muttered, face still close to his brother's- he was watching his eyes roll against his lids once more.

Thorin turned from where he was watching Nori and Gloin build a fire next to them; he thanked them wordlessly. 'We took him for granted, as usual- he seemed to be fine…..but we should have checked.' He agreed, shaking his head, shame in his heart. He should have been more forward with the boy, should have badgered him to let someone tend to him, instead of blindingly believing he would be ok.

'I should have been there for him….' Kili muttered, eyes closing as he felt a tremor run through his brother. Why wasn't he opening his eyes?

Remembering what Gandalf had said he reluctantly started to move upwards; he winced and groaned as his back flourished with renewed pain. Thorin watched him, eyes narrowed.

'What are you doing, lad?' he asked, watching as Kili seemed to just move his arms around, moaning in pain.

'Gandalf says he has to sweat out the fever…..I'm giving him my cloak.' He muttered. He yelped through a mix of frustration and pain as he just couldn't shift the cloak from his shoulders.

'Oh no you're not- you need that just as much as he does. He can have mine, and I'll go get some more from the others….' Thorin instructed, gently pushing the cloak back over Kili's shoulders. His nephew glared at him, breathing hard through the pain in his back and face, before he sat back to look down at his brother once more.

Thorin sighed and stood up, crossing the grass to the other members of the company to ask them for spare cloaks and anything else that was warm that they could spare.

Kili didn't take his eyes off his big brother- Fili looked a little calmer now; it seemed magic really was a useful thing to have around. He gently pressed his hand to his brother's temple, not really knowing what to do; Fili always was the better comforter between them.

'You're going to be ok, you know?' he whispered, just for something to say. 'Thank Durin you're going to be ok….' He smiled as Fili pressed his head against his palm, his eyes staying still behind the lids.

His back pulsed with deep agony, but somehow he just didn't feel it anymore- it wasn't important enough for him to notice now. His brother was more important. He growled and tried to move his shoulder blades to shift some of the pain, but nothing worked; he leaned forwards, eyes only for Fili.

'You know you can wake up now…..' he muttered, frowning as Fili remained unconscious. 'I really don't mind…'

He looked up as someone dumped a collection of cloaks onto his brother's prone body- Thorin looked apologetically down at him, before getting to his knees to sort out the furs. 'I got as many as could be spared.' He muttered, placing each cloak like a blanket on top of his nephew.

Kili nodded, appreciative. 'How long does he have to stay like this for?' he asked.

Thorin shrugged as he sat up. 'Don't know….until his fever is gone I guess….' He replied, before looking up at his nephew. 'You look tired, maybe you should rest.'

'How can I? What if Fili wakes up and I'm not there to see? What if he thinks we've all left him because no one was next to him?' Kili gabbled, emotion thick in his voice. Thorin frowned and placed a hand on his forearm.

He leaned in, smiling. 'You think I would let that happen? Do you think I'll let either of you wake up alone ever again? Never. You sleep- I'll watch over you both…..' he rubbed Kili's forearm gently, winking at his nephew with a grin.

Kili felt a rush of love, and also a great sense of protection. Their uncle had never let them down once- he would trust him with his life. 'I still want to be next to him….' He muttered, nerves clinching his stomach.

'I'll sit between you, so neither of you gets to feel alone.' Thorin muttered, before gently moving Kili away from his brother. 'Besides, I can move quicker than you at the moment- if anything happens to either of you I'll be able to get help faster.' He reasoned.

Kili nodded, reluctant understanding dawning in his mind. He slowly moved away from his brother, Thorin quickly taking his place. Their uncle sat between them, looking from one nephew to the other. He took Fili's innate hand in his own tight grasp with one hand, while gently gripping Kili's arm with the other.

'There…..now neither of you can feel alone. Now sleep, Kili, and regain your strength- we have to move soon anyway; we've been here far too long already. We're sitting targets as it is, we don't want to make it any easier for them.' He growled, eyes dark.

Kili nodded. 'I know…..I'll have to start practicing with my bow in the morrow then; I hope my back will let me.'

'I hope so too.' His uncle muttered, nodding. They would need all the help they would get.

'We've still got the rest of today-it's hours till sunset, but try to sleep as much as you can.' He advised.

He looked down at his two nephews; this moment reminded him of when they were children, and the annual winter fever had rendered them both bed-bound for weeks. For nights he had sat at their twin bedsides, sat in the middle between their beds, holding each one's hands as the sweats and tremors plagued their small bodies. He hadn't left their sides once.

He wouldn't again, either.

After a few minutes of reminiscing he looked down at them again; Fili still hadn't woken- his face was a sheen of sweat as the fever still swept through his body, he could see his laboured breaths even beneath the thick mountain of cloaks atop his body.

Kili, meanwhile, was not asleep; Thorin could see his eyes shining in the midday sun, wide and scared. He sighed inwardly; he wished there was something he could do to put his mind at ease, but he had already comforted him with all the words he could find.

So he settled for just holding both his nephews tight, for once protecting them, looking after their needs properly for the first time since they were children.

He only hoped tomorrow would be a better day…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Thorin, how wrong can you be? ^^ Next chapter up soon! x Thanks for reading! xx


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After everything that's happened so far, Fili, Kili and Thorin just want some rest and recuperation before the next leg of their journey begins....but things never work out how you want them, do they?

Thorin awoke from his doze as he felt Fili move beside him; his head snapped to the side as his nephew groaned, his eyes opening lazily in the weak evening sunlight.

Fili looked much better than the last time Thorin had set eyes upon him- his face had colour in it again, his blue eyes sparkling as he looked up at him from under the mound of furs.

'Hey, how are you feeling?' he asked, smiling down at Fili as he weakly sat up, wincing as he pushed the cloaks off his body.

'I'll live…' he muttered, before peering around for Kili.

Thorin snorted and nodded his head towards the dwarf on his other side. 'You two are more alike than I realised….'

'I'll take that as a compliment!' Fili chuckled, smiling down at his brother as he craned his neck to see him- Kili was facing away from them, whether asleep or awake he didn't know.

'Take it however you want…. It's nearly sundown, we should have made a move hours ago…' Thorin grumbled, gingerly standing up and stretching.

'Agreed- let me just get up and I'll come help…'

'-Or you can stay sat here, looking after your brother, and letting people do things for themselves for once?' Thorn replied, before dropping to his haunches, pushing a finger into Fili's chest.

'-And if you ever, ever ignore your injuries again- be it to look after another, or just pure stubbornness, I will personally attach you to the nearest tree, blindfolded, and me and your brother will use you as arrow practice!' Thorin growled, the corners of his mouth turning up as Fili rolled his eyes.

'Now, Uncle, I know you're just being silly- you and Kili have too perfect aims to ever hit me on purpose….' Fili chuckled, his breath hitching as little as he tried to sit up.

'Be that as it may, I won't be very happy with you if you do it again.' Thorin muttered, deadly serious this time.

Fili blew air from between his teeth, nodding. 'Alright, alright….. I just didn't think….'

'No, and that's your problem- you never do think.'

'I just thought Kili was more important….'

'You don't have to explain it to me, I know why you did it- I just don't want Gandalf on my back for the remainder of the journey…' Thorin growled, giving the Wizard a sideways glance.

'Are you….scared of him?' Fili grinned.

Thorin's head snapped to his direction again. 'What? No, of course not- I just have respect for him…..which is more than you and Kili have for me! Now wake your brother, we need to get moving….' Thorin barked, before walking off, shaking his head and loudly muttering.

Fili chuckled quietly at his uncle's retreating back; that dwarf never ceased to amaze and amuse him.

He turned to his right, and was pleasantly surprised to see Kili stirring beside him. 'Hey, sleepy- let's see if your back is any better now, shall we?' he asked.

Kili opened his blurry eyes; upon catching sight of his brother, awake and alive and smiling, he broke into a huge smile, throwing himself upon his older brother.

Fili laughed heartily as Kili hugged him, their arms tight around each other. 'Calm down, brother…..' he whispered into his hair.

Kili shook his head, eyes closed. 'I thought you had died Fili, I really did….' He muttered, ignoring the pain in his back.

'Well I haven't- how's that for some good news?' Fili chuckled, patting Kili on the back as his brother still clung to him like a lost child who had found their mother.

'The best news…' Kili replied, before letting go slowly, wincing. 'Shouldn't have done that….' He whispered, rolling his shoulders, face scrunched in pain.

'Idiot.' Fili muttered affectionately, rolling his eyes.

Suddenly, Kili looked up, a hard, serious look behind his brown eyes. 'Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear? Never again!' he growled.

Fili frowned, before putting a hand on his little brother's shoulder. 'I'm sorry, I really am- I'll try not to-'

'Promise….'

'Alright, I promise I will never put my life in jeopardy, therefore causing you dire emotional pain and the need to shout at said brother for putting his life in jeopardy- good enough?' Fili winked at his brother, smiling.

Kili nodded, satisfied. 'Good enough for me.' He chuckled, before looking ahead to the other company. 'Guess we have to start moving now, don't we?'

'I suppose, we can't be treated like royal princes for the remainder of the journey, can we?'

'Well, you can't, but me….' Kili chuckled, before moving around to stand up.

'Not you either- come, we need to get your- I mean our- bandages changed before we set off as well.' Fili mumbled, standing up with a grimace, before bending down to hoist Kili up from where he was struggling.

'It's feeling a lot better than before….' Kili remarked, noticing he was stretching much easier now.

'Good, that's good- now start walking.' Fili ordered, pointing to Bilbo, who had just walked up to them.

'Stand still, you can be a tree.' Fili instructed the Hobbit.

'A….tree? Why? There's one over there….' Bilbo replied, pointing to a huge oak tree not ten paces away.

'Play along, please?' Fili asked, grinning. Kili shared a look with the Hobbit, both as perplexed as each other.

Fili looked at his brother, pointing his thumb at Bilbo. 'Pretend he's a tree- walk to him…uh- it.' He told him.

Kili frowned, 'Fili, what-'

'Just do it!'

'Alright…..' Kili muttered, before taking slow steps to Bilbo.

His back felt almost back to normal, with just a few twinges of pain cropping up every now and again as his muscles worked beneath the skin.

Finally he reached Bilbo. Shrugging, the Hobbit clapped as the dwarf came to stand beside him. 'Well….done?' he ventured, before both of them looked up at Fili to see if they had done right.

Fili chuckled, rolling his eyes. 'You two really will do anything I tell you, won't you?' he grinned, before both Kili and Bilbo, now mock-furious, yelled at him. He heartily laughed, eyes shining before walking off, grinning.

'My brother is such an idiot…' Kili grumbled, itching his elbow and frowning at his brother' back.

'At least you're both on the mend now, though?' Bilbo smiled up at the Dwarf.

'Yeah, we should be moving on soon. You want to help me get my pack sorted? I think Fili has dropped bits everywhere round here….' He asked, shrugging.

'Course I will….' Bilbo replied, before the two of them went off in search of Kili's lost belongings.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fili dropped into line beside Thorin as his uncle collected firewood from the near forest. 'When are we moving on then?' He muttered, aware of the fast approaching twilight.

'I was hoping tonight, but now I am thinking the morrow would be better- we can set a course better in the light….I do not trust my skills in woodland.'

'Really? You've not led us wrong so far.' Fili frowned; sounded like his uncle had something stopping him from moving.

Thorin sighed, picking up some wood and placing it in his nephew's arms. 'Alright- I want you and Kili to have at least one more night's rest, just to make sure you are ok to carry on.' He muttered, before averting his eyes.

Fili smiled inwardly; he had seen a long forgotten side of his uncle these past days. 'Kili and I will be fine to move- Kili just needs to take it slow; his back is almost back to normal.' He said, accepting the next piece of wood that Thorin had just thrust into his arms.

'If you're sure?'

'Of course. We'll be fine.' Fili replied, smiling into the sudden darkness. When had it got so dark?

A small, protective part of him wanted to go to Kili, to see if he was ok; he reminded himself that Kili wasn't a child anymore, he wasn't frightened of the dark anymore, and he was safe.

Thorin caught his look before he smiled to himself in the gathering darkness. 'You know, growing up- I'd love to have had a brother like you.' He muttered, almost too quietly for Fili to hear.

Fili, however, had heard every word. He looked up, eyes wide, pride settling in his chest. 'Really?' he asked.

'Truly- the way you care for Kili, it's admirable, it really is. You two are the best of friends and siblings rolled into one- what could be better?' Thorin replied, before clearing his throat and bending down to pick up more firewood.

Fili grinned into open air, feeling almost important due to his uncle's words. He knew that this was the end of the conversation by the way Thorin had cleared his throat, but it didn't stop him from smiling widely as they continued their now silent walk around the forest floor collecting the rest of the firewood.

After going in a wide circle they finally made it back to camp- Kili and Bilbo were scouring the camp for only they knew what, Fili figured, and everyone else was slowly packing up- whilst talking, eating, laughing and drinking of course.

The Wizard was stood to the side, blowing smoke-rings through his pipe.

Fili left his uncle and went to stand by Gandalf's side. He looked, awed, as the rings got bigger and bigger through every puff- Gandalf caught him watching. 'Want to try?' he asked, voice gruff but laced with humour.

'Really?' Fili asked, eyes wide as Gandalf passed him his long pipe; he held it like a breakable, prized treasure.

'It won't break, Fili….'Gandalf laughed, before he cleared his throat. 'Now, have you ever done this before?'

'Never- Thorin holds distaste for smoking games.' Fili replied; his uncle was partial to the odd pipe or four, but had never permitted them to blow rings or do anything fun with them- he hadn't even permitted Kili to try a pipe at all.

'Right, well- inhale the smoke partially, letting it settle in your throat as well as your mouth.' Gandalf instructed, watching as Fili took a big suck of the pipe. Fili's eyes widened and he coughed the smoke out, eyes watering.

'Yes, that sometimes happens the first time.' Gandalf chuckled, patting the dwarf on the back as Fili continued to choke. The coughing seemed to have garnered the attention of Kili and Bilbo, for they had come to stand next to them, curious at what was going on.

'Take in some more….' Gandalf urged as Fili breathed in deeply, slightly red in the face.

'Right…' he muttered, before inhaling some more. This time he kept it in his face- he looked at the Wizard expectantly, mouth puffed out like a fish, waiting his next instruction.

'Now put your tongue to the back of your throat.' Gandalf told him, waiting for a thumbs up before continuing. 'Make your lips into an O shape….that's it…..now blow, short and sharp breaths…' Gandalf chuckled as he watched a small, delicate smoke-ring appear from Fili's mouth, blue eyes reflecting the grey. 'Well done! Very well done for a first attempt!' he smiled, patting Fili on the shoulder.

'Can I try?' Kili asked, eyes wide and smile wider- before he could say anything else, however, there was a shout behind them-

'What was that?' a voice sounded.

Frowning, the four company members turned and walked over to the fire, where the others had huddled, weapons ready.

'What's going on?' Kili asked, brown eyes wide and scared. 'Is it the Goblins?'

Fili put a hand on his brother's shoulder, squeezing lightly for comfort. Kili looked at him, fear in his young eyes. 'Do not worry….' Fili whispered, heart slightly breaking as Kili's fingers found their way to his sleeve. It seemed Kili's scars sank deeper than just his physical wounds.

'No, not Goblins- something else….' Bofur muttered, voice dark.

They all looked around as a sudden howl broke through the night, followed by the blood-curdling sound of growls and gnashing jaws.

Fili watched as their uncle's eyes hardened and he brought his sword up, growling. 'Wargs! Orcs!' he snapped.

'Should we hide?' Fili asked, despite knowing the answer already. They had already been spotted; otherwise there would have been no howl.

'No…we must fight.' Thorin replied. He was about to say more, but his voice was overridden by the loud noise of chattering and screaming Orcs, coupled with the growls and barks of their beasts.

'TO ARMS!' Thorin yelled, turning on the spot and imbedding his sword into the face on an Orc. Arrows suddenly came flying from all directions- Fili yelled, pushing Kili to the floor as an arrow came flying; it stuck fast into the tree that Kili had just been standing opposite.

He took his sword, ducking low to grab his brother- Bilbo was standing next to him, eyes wide.

'Make for the trees!' he yelled into his brother's face, before he stood, yelling in anger as an Orc came upon them.

His sword flashed in the moonlight, the impending clash of metal sounded into the night- Fili ignored battle niceties as he pulled the Orc nearer to him, head-butting the beast with ferocious strength before arcing his sword into its neck- blood spattered onto Kili as the decapitated head of the Orc landed in his lap.

Fili didn't have time to return to his brother as another Orc ran to him- but, casting a short look towards him, saw that Kili had jumped up and had rammed his dirk into the neck of another Orc, with Bilbo looking on. He dispatched the Orc with ease, wiping blood from his face with anger in his heart.

Running back to his brother he pulled both him and Bilbo towards him, before he ran with them to the edge of the forest. 'Kili, look after Bilbo, make for the trees!' he shouted, conscious of the battle around them.

'What? Fili no- I can't-' Kili shook his head, eyes wide as Fili growled at him and pushed them further into the forest.

'Don't disobey me! I will come back for you.' He growled, looking down at Bilbo. 'The Hobbit is no warrior-'

'But I am! I can fight-'

'I'm not losing you again! Don't make me lose you again!' Fili yelled. He softened as Kili looked down, eyes dark. 'Hide in the forest and I will come back for you…..promise me you won't come back Kili.' He whispered.

'Uh, guys…' Bilbo muttered, but Fili shushed him, eyes only for Kili.

'You can't expect me to-'

'I am! You must!'

'Guys…..'

'I won't just sit by and do nothing!'

'GUYS!' Bilbo yelled, pointing behind them. With a yell Fili turned on the spot to be faced by a large Orc- the beast had his sword up and ready, and it was all Fili could do to stay upright; their swords clashed, before the Orc made the mistake of looking around as a loud yell sounded behind them. Fili yelled and threw himself on top of it, his sword imbedding into its chest- Black blood bubbled from the wound; Fili stood up, growling.

He looked around at the battle that was still raging; with wide eyes, both concerned and furious, he pushed Kili and Bilbo bodily into the forest, waving his fist.

'Go! Go now!'

'Fili….' Kili shook his head.

'Go! For Durin's sake go!' he shouted, before turning and running full-pelt back into the battle, trying not to turn around to see if his brother had obeyed.

Bilbo turned to Kili, face set. 'What do we do?' he asked.

'We can't just hide! I may be many things but I am no coward.' Kili growled, flinching as pain flared in his back.

'Me neither- although I think we should hide; just for appearances, of course.' The Hobbit smiled devilishly at the Dwarf.

'I like your thinking Master Baggins!' Kili smiled, before they both crept into the forest.

The woodland had got very dark, and very eerie. Not wanting to stray too far from the battle, the two of them skirted the forest edge.

Not speaking, they watched the fighting. Muffled yells and shouts could be heard from the trees, but none were discernible voices-Kili only hoped they didn't belong to any member of the company….

Bilbo was just about to speak when there was a crack of twigs behind them- before he could even raise his letter-opener of a sword a huge Orc grabbed Kili from behind, enveloping the young Dwarf into a headlock-like grasp- his bow and arrow set fell to the floor with a thump behind him.

With wide eyes, Bilbo watched the Orc sneer down at him.

'What have we got here then?' it drawled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Kili in the grips of an Orc and the rest of the company a little bit preoccupied with the rest of the Orc onslaught, will the youngest be able to get away?

Fili ran up the grassy clearing, nearly slipping up on spilt blood and evening dew on the grass; he skidded to a halt as an Orc blocked his path- he jabbed his sword fast into the beast's belly, watching without pleasure as entrails fell onto the floor. Turning his nose up at the stench of the dead and dying he continued running till he got to the fire, where the others were holed up, fighting with all their might.

Thorin was locked in combat with a particularly large Orc; the creature bared it's misshapen, disgusting teeth, a breathy growl sounding into the night.

As Fili watched, the Orc seemed to be winning; it had successfully pushed Thorin nearer to the fire's edge until his cloak was nearly on fire- Fili yelled to confuse it, before barrelling into it dirk first- he felt the blade sink deep into the Orc's side, the beast itself falling to the floor, bleeding.

Fili picked himself up, breathing heavily- there was no time to waste, no time to see if his uncle was alright, for another two Orcs came running at him; he picked up his sword, giving a loud battle-cry as they advanced, blades also raised.

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Bilbo looked up, wide eyed at the huge Orc that had Kili captured, trying not to shake. His eyes grazed the ground for a weapon, yet they kept pinging back to Kili as the Dwarf gasped for breath, guttural sounds escaping his mouth as he fought for air.

'You shouldn't be out here….bad things happen when you're alone…..' the Orc spat, tightening his grasp- yelping in pain and fear, Kili's fingers desperately scrabbled for relief from the suffocation; he could feel himself going red, like his face was swelling.

Bilbo finally spotted the bow and arrow lying discarded on the floor; he snatched it up, unpractised fingers fiddling with the wood.

Feeling his eyes roll into his head, Kili gasped for more air. 'Just do it…..' he managed to force out- his fingers and feet were turning numb as the blood stopped their circulation.

Bilbo looked up as the Orc laughed, spreading spit into Dwarf's hair. 'Go on- I dare you! But miss, and you get to keep your friends head as a memento….' He drawled, tightening his grasp impossibly more; Kili grappled weakly against its thick arms, his legs kicking out, but the Orc was too strong.

'Bilbo-'Kili gasped out; it felt like his brain was clouding, like he was falling through the air. 'Do it! Shoot it…'

Bilbo wrestled with the bow, fixing an arrow haphazardly into the weapon. The Orc continued to laugh, yellow teeth protruding.

Taking a quick breath he drew the arrow back, aimed and loosed it, squeezing his eyes shut at the last moment; he heard two sudden cries, and a thud as someone hit the floor.

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Fili dispatched the two Orcs with disarming ease, he flung the two corpses down, one after the other, on the ground in front of him, a hard look emblazoned on his face.

'Where's your brother?' Thorin yelled as he was viciously parrying with an Orc close by- He punched the creature in the face, sending it screeching to the floor, before another took its place, an axe in its grasp.

'I sent him to safety in the forest!' Fili replied, swinging his own blade at an Orc who had run up to him.

'What?!' Thorin yelped, ducking a swing from the axe. 'Why in Durin did you do that?'

'I thought he'd be safe!' Fili yelled, before an Orc grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the floor, dagger raised.

Eyes wide, Thorin yelled in anger, arcing his sword into the neck of the Orc he was fighting- he ran to his nephew, forcing his blade into the ribcage of the offending creature. The Orc doubled up in pain, twitching, before it fell to the ground beside his nephew.

Thorin growled as he helped Fili up. 'We need all the help we can get!' he snapped angrily, dark eyes resting on his nephew for a second.

'I didn't want him to get hurt!'

'This isn't about you, though, is it- we need our bowman!' Thorin yelled, before they both had to turn to fight more Orcs.

Thorin looked around as soon as he got a chance- the battle wasn't even half one; more and more Orcs seemed to stream from the outer forest like ants smelling jam. There was much too many to fight.

'To the trees!' he yelled, cursing whoever had sent these beasts. Gandalf, who had been fighting off his own pack of Orcs nodded, shouting the instruction to the nearest company members to him.

'We surrender?' Fili shouted, eyes wide as everyone started moving for the huge oak trees.

A Warg ran close; the huge beasts' foaming jaws clamping shut and opening as it howled into the night- it ran at the two dwarves, pushing past Orcs and other dwarves alike, teeth bared.

Thorin shouted in surprise, his sword raised. He brought it down with a yell as the beast's head got into range, but one swipe didn't seem to do it; it just carried on, barrelling into Thorin teeth first.

Fili yelped as his Uncle fell to the floor, yelping in pain, the beast's teeth embedded into his leg.

He threw himself at the Warg, his blade sweeping again and again into the Wargs head and side; Fili didn't care as blood sprayed into his face as he chopped into the Creature as if cutting wood.

Finally, and with Fili's arms aching, the beast released its prey, before sinking to the ground, where it lay still.

Breathing hard and with wide eyes, Fili ran to his uncle's side. Thorin was panting and gasping in pain, hands clutched around a wound on his leg; blood was pooling beneath him.

'Thorin….' Fili breathed, but Thorin growled and shook his head. 'Make for the trees- we need to get to higher ground.'

Fili nodded, taking his uncle by the arm and hauling him up. Thorin limped as they ran, and together they made it to the nearest tree; Gloin was holding out his hands for them; Fili pushed his uncle up first, before he looked to the edge of the forest where he had sent Kili and Bilbo from the battle- he hoped they had found safety in the forest.

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Bilbo slowly opened his eyes, the silence deafening. He looked down, his eyes widening as he looked upon what he had done.

Kili was panting, his face screwed up in pain, the dead Orc splayed next to him- the fatal arrow that Bilbo had fired had not only got the Orc, but was also embedded in the top of Kili's shoulder.

'Oh- I am so sorry…' Bilbo gasped, falling to his knees beside the dwarf, not really knowing what to do.

'Just pull it out- slowly.' Kili muttered through gritted teeth. He pawed at his neck where the brute of an Orc had tried to throttle him; he felt the skin was sore.

Bilbo carefully put his hands around the thin arrow; Kili hissed in pain as the tiny blade moved in his skin. 'This is going to hurt….' Bilbo warned him.

'Really? And here I was thinking it would be fun to try this!' Kili sarcastically replied, before he smiled, rolling his eyes. 'Relax, I was only joking; you know this isn't the first arrow wound I've sustained….' He smiled despite the pain, if only to give Bilbo more confidence. 'Just do it however you like- it has to go.' He muttered, closing his eyes as he watched the Hobbit brace himself.

Two seconds later, he gasped in sudden pain, as Bilbo wrenched the arrow from his shoulder. 'Ah HA! There we go…..' Bilbo held the arrow with a flourish, before throwing it to the ground.

'….What happened to slowly?' Kili gasped, voice high and mock-upset. He groaned as he stood up, smiling.

'S-sorry…' Bilbo muttered, before Kili placed his whole weight onto his shoulder on purpose as he stood, flexing his shoulder.

'Don't mention it…..' Kili chuckled, before, eyes narrowed, he looked to the clearing where his brother was supposed to be.

'We should get back there….' He muttered, hand going to the hilt of his sword. 'To hell with what Fili said- I will not stand idly by while a battle is underway; especially with my kin in danger.'

'Agreed, let's go!' Bilbo stood, ready.

Kili looked at him, eyes wide. 'You're not coming- you stay here, out of sight. We need you; you're the most important part of this quest!' he told him, before walking off so Bilbo didn't have to fluster an answer. Grumbling, the Hobbit slowly picked his way to behind a large tree, where he could watch the battle from the seemingly important area of safety.

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From the tree, Thorin growled as he looked down at the scene before him; the Wargs howled and growled deeply in their throats, although they seemed to be holding back from attacking. The Orcs, however, had not given up their fight- he watched as Fili kicked one down to the tree on top of the others' that were trying to climb up there; he nephew scrambled higher up the tree as one tried to grab his ankle and force him down.

His leg was throbbing, but he tried to ignore the pain as much as he could.

Suddenly, a loud voice shouted down from a spot Thorin could not see- But he would recognise that voice anywhere…his blood ran cold as the silhouette of a massive Warg and rider came into view.

'Azgog….' He breathed- it could not be. That beast had been slain long ago, by his own hand- it could not be him.

He watched, eyes wide, as the great Pale Orc rode into clearer view. Azgog the Defiler sneered openly atop his white Warg; the other Orcs stopped their attack at a barked Dark Orcish order from their master.

'Thorin Oakensheild!' it shouted in language Thorin and the Dwarves could understand. 'It has been a long time- yet I have not forgotten what you did.'

'I slayed you! You were slain in Moria!' Thorin yelled from the trees; he shook his head, still disbelieving his own eyes.

'Yet here I am! I swore long ago to destroy the line of Durin; I swore to take my revenge on those who defy me!' Azgog growled, its blue eyes shining in the now weak firelight that not long ago they had been sitting around.

'You will not succeed! I can kill you again!' Thorin yelled, before drawing his sword and looking for a way down.

Fili grabbed his uncle, pulling him back. 'Thorin, no!' he hissed, eyes wide. 'Don't do this- don't risk your life!'

'I am not sitting up a tree waiting for these beasts to tear us limb from limb!' Thorin growled, pulling his nephew's hands away- he suddenly felt like they had been here before, yet with their places switched.

The Pale Orc laughed sardonically, a snarl replacing the humour. 'Come down, Thorin Oakenshield- I said I would destroy the line of Durin, so you will not be the only one to die….' It growled, eyes flicking to Fili.

'How did it kn-'

'Does it matter? You've left your brother out in the wild, unaware and injured-he might come here at any moment!' Thorin whispered, unnatural anger lacing his words.

Fili shrank back, paling. 'Kili…..' he breathed, shaking his head.

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Kili crouched low to the forest floor, eyes on the scene ahead of him. From behind the Orcs and Wargs he could barely see the other dwarves- he smiled inwardly as he saw them in the trees; it seemed like something Fili would suggest they do.

His eyes narrowed as he heard the huge creature on the white Warg start speaking again- he couldn't make out the words, but he knew it couldn't be good. The moon shone light on the head of the beast, and Kili could see it was as white as stone.

The Pale Orc…..but how? Thorin had always maintained that he was dead; how had his uncle got it so wrong?

He carefully crept to the side to hear better, trying not to get spotted by another Orc; that was the last thing he needed.

He hissed in a breath as his shoulder twinged with pain; that damn Hobbit was going to get someone killed, he thought sarcastically.

He could now hear Azgog speak better; he caught the last few words from the sentence-

'…..Will kill each and every one of your company until you come down and fight.' Kili steeled himself, hands on his blade.

He heard Thorin angrily retort, but could not make out the words. He looked up as the Orcs standing unaware around him laughed- he didn't like the sound of that-

He had to think of a plan- he couldn't just sit here and watch his family suffer….

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Thorin growled at the insult that Azgog just threw at him; he made to move from the tree again, throwing Fili's hands from him once more.

'Don't be stupid…'

'Leave me! This has to be done- we are not going to get out of here alive until I do something!' he growled to his nephew, and without another word he pulled himself from his grasp and began to climb down from the tree.

Azgog laughed once more, and Thorin bristled at every sound. He raised his blade, eyes dark and dangerous. 'I have slain you once- I can do it again!' he repeated his earlier threat.

'No, Thorin Oakenshield- it is only you and your family who will die tonight-'

Before either Thorin or anyone else could retort, a lone yell sounded from behind them; Kili burst from the trees, sword raised.

Azgog turned, eyes steely- as soon as Kili came near it arced its great arm around, hitting the young dwarf to the floor. The Pale Orc nodded its head at its white Warg- the creature leapt forwards, teeth bared; it grabbed Kili round the stomach, its jaws clamping onto the flesh.

'No!' Thorin and Fili yelled, the former's eyes wide as he watched his nephew in the grip of the Warg.

Azgog laughed, before looking Thorin full in the face.

'Surrender, and give yourself up to me-'it growled, voice dangerous.

'-Or he dies.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 2 more chapters to go!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin and Fili get desperate as Kili's life hangs in the balance....until help comes from the most unexpected of places

'No….' Thorin muttered, shaking his head as he looked between his nephew and Azog, eyes wide.

He knew there would be no negotiation, no words shared this time, unlike before in Goblin-Town; Azog the Defiler was not a beast for clever words and discussion.

Without a second's thought Thorin raised his blade and ran to the Pale Orc; Azog seemed to have anticipated his move, as he stepped deftly aside, swinging down the mace he had concealed in his working arm; Thorin's eyes widened as the weapon came close, too close to duck- he roared in pain as the mace connected with his chest with so much force he was thrown backwards; he hissed in pain amid a backdrop of cruel laughter as his head hit the floor.

'THORIN! KILI!' Fili looked between one and the other, not knowing what to do, who to help.

He looked down at the enumerable Orcs that stood below the trees waiting for the other dwarves to make their move. He growled low in his throat, casting wide, desperate eyes to his brother.

Kili was locked in the foaming jaws of the great White Warg, desperately trying to prise the thick, long teeth that were impaling his legs; he felt warm blood soak his clothes, and an almighty pain caused him to cry out, voice cracking. He tried to crane his neck to spot his brother or uncle- he had heard the cry of pain from somewhere behind him, recognising the voice to be Thorin's.

He beat the Wargs nose and pelt with his arms, but it was like hitting stone- nothing made a dent at all.

He cried out in frustration and pain as the beast's answer was to clamp down harder on his body, he felt tears erupt in his eyes as a different pain to what he had ever felt before enveloped him; he had never been in a beast's large jaws like this.

Thorin laid still, eyes closed on the ground, as he tried to regulate his breathing- something had cracked as he fell, and it was all he could do not to scream continuously as he lay here; he surmised it was his ribs, how many he did not know.

He heard Fili's voice as if he were far away and knew he had to get up- his Kin depended on him. He breathed shakily out as he put a hand on the ground to stand up; suddenly he felt a presence behind him, and yelped as he felt a kick to his exposed side- he felt himself being thrown to the ground again, Azog's laugh sounding in his ears.

'THORIN!' Fili screamed, shaking his head as he surged to the edge of the tree- too close to the edge. With wide eyes the branch he was standing on snapped, and he fell to the floor, landing with a cry onto the Orcs that were beneath the tree.

He stood and ran to his stricken Uncle, standing in front of his fallen leader with blade in hand, eyes steely. 'Leave him alone!' he roared, knowing Thorin could only take so much. 'Release my brother!' he added, looking to Kili before his eyes returned to the pale Orc.

Azog grinned, an animalistic growl escaping him- he spat something in a language Fili could not decipher, but seconds later he knew the meaning.

He yelled as Orcs started to come forwards, teeth bared and weapons raised. Five against one was most definitely not fair, but Fili swung his blade handle in his hands, readying himself for a fight-

He didn't have time to look anywhere else but the face of the first Orc that came his way- flashes of iron and metal permeated the night as Fili roared a battle cry, his blade arcing and swinging and jabbing at the Orcs as they all came near.

All too soon, Fili could tell he was fighting a losing battle- more and more Orcs were rushing to the aid of their comrades, weapons ready.

Fili felt sweat on his brow coupling with the blood of the creatures as he did his best to stave them off his uncle; chancing a look behind him he saw Thorin rise weakly, growling and clutching his side- something bad must have happened to him, Fili knew, or he would have been straight up, blade ready.

Azog seemed to have stood back from the fight, eyes trained on Thorin- the Dwarf Prince growled and cursed his body as he tried to stand; pain flourished in his side, and to his horror he found himself falling back the ground, unable to even breath properly.

In the jaws of the Warg, Kili felt blood bubble into his mouth as the beast bit down ever harder on his body; his eyes closed, pain clouding over him. It suddenly dawned on him, as if on a peak of realisation- he might die, he might actually die before the journey had even begun….

'Fili…..' he breathed, before wincing and hissing in pain, his body contorting as the Warg's jaws put more pressure on his body; his bones would not break, however- and for that Kili was grateful, he tried to turn his head again, to look for his brother, for he could hear him shouting and yelling behind him; but the beast would not move it's head.

Fili whirled around as more Orcs came closer- he could hear the shouts of the others up in the trees- but why had they done come to join the fight? After dispatching an Orc he took a look behind him, and with a trill of horror he saw his friends beating off the remaining Wargs- they had their forelegs on the trees, trying to grab the dwarves and pull them off; none of them could get close to coming down to aide them.

Fili had been looking away for too long- an Orc arced his blade forwards and Fili yelped in pain as he felt the blade cut into his side; he fell to his knees, gasping as blood seeped into his tunic, but he did not stop fighting; he drew his sword with a yell, standing up with all the strength he could muster- and this time he wasn't alone.

Thorin advanced with his weapon, eyes narrowed and pain in his body, and together the two of them forced the Orcs back to their master; Azog watching as his minions fell like flies beneath the twin fury of the dwarf princes.

He narrowed his eyes, before motioning for more Orcs to advance, uttering more words in the language not of the Dwarven world.

These Orcs had different orders- they ignored their comrades as they fell, blood gushing and spraying everywhere, even steadfastly ignoring the wounds they themselves sustained- they grabbed Fili, punching him to the floor, pushing their feet into the wound in his side.

Thorin's eyes widened; he roared a battle cry as he saw his nephew being dragged to Azog- this was not supposed to happen…..he wouldn't let it happen.

'NO!' He roared as more Orcs grabbed his arms and held him back. He shook his head, sweat-laced hair clinging to his face as he looked upon the scene; Fili was being held by two Orcs at the feet of the Great Defiler, whilst Kili was in the jaws of the Warg, lying limply in its grasp.

'Azog- release them!' he shouted, before growling and trying to move. Where was the Wizard this time? He couldn't turn to the trees to see what Gandalf was doing, but suddenly he could hear him, yelling incoherently, the noise coupling with the sound of pained wines and yelps of injured Wargs- it seemed he was being of some use, after all.

He turned as he heard Fili from in front of him- he struggled ever harder as he saw he was being held by the throat by Azog, the Pale Orc sneering into his face.

Fili felt his eyes roll back into his head as Azog gripped his neck, tightening his grasp and then releasing him like he was playing a game; his sword dropped from his grip and fell to the floor with a thud. He peered round to Kili, saw he was barely conscious…..maybe this was it? Maybe this was the way they were going to go…..

Suddenly, Azog dropped him- he fell to the floor with a gasp, one hand to his neck, the other to the wound on his side; drawing back his palm he saw scarlet, but he couldn't care about that now.

'MAKE HIM KNEEL!' Azog roared to his Orcs- two of them came and grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to kneel at the feet of the Pale Orc. He looked up, hatred in his eyes, as Azog looked down at him.

'Obey me, and you will not die.' He said simply, eyes not leaving the dwarf's.

'Never!' Fili spat, already consigned to his fate. He heard Thorin yell behind him, but couldn't see him.

He felt fear, real fear, rise in his chest, and for the first time in his life…..he wanted his mother. It was an absurd, wondrous thing to think of when he was just about to die; but he wanted to see her, to hug her one last time…

Azog laughed as tears filled Fili's eyes. 'Bring me his sword!' he barked, and held out his hand as an Orc took up Fili's sword, the one he was given by his father for when he came of age, and handed it to him. Fili watched as the great Orc toyed with it, before his eyes, glinting, looked upon Thorin once more.

'Thorin Oakenshield- I see fear in your kin's eyes…..you have the same look in your eyes- give yourself up, and he does not die!' he roared, wielding the blade in the air.

'You will die long before you can bring any of my family to harm!' Thorin growled, struggling in the grasp of the Orcs that held him tight.

Azog laughed, looking down at Fili and then back up- I think not!' it roared, before nodding his head- the Orcs forced Fili to bend his head, and with a thrill of panic, he knew what was happening; he was about to be executed.

He squeezed his eyes shut, dry sobs forcing their way from his body. He heard Kili groaning and moaning out his name, but could not offer any comfort…what would happen to Kili when he was gone? Who would look after him the way he did?

The unknowingness of it all made Fili feel all the more worse- his eyes were still shut as he heard Thorin shouting his name; he wanted it over with now, if it was going to happen.

Silence. It was a wondrous thing; the noise of peace, of sleep, and of the night. Now it was filled with anticipation, unbearable suspense and waiting.

'What are you waiting for?' he shouted, suddenly feeling brave. 'Get on with it!' he heard Kili sobbing loudly from somewhere beside him, moaning 'No…' over and over.

Azog laughed, long and deep. 'Die as scum who would not bow to greatness….' He roared, and Fili could almost hear the sound of his own sword rising.

It would be over soon; he reasoned- two more seconds and he would be at peace.

Only….it wasn't over….

He opened his eyes at the sound of the first yell of pain from the Great Defiler- he looked up at the second, and watched as it clutched at his side as blood poured from a wound; where had the blow come from?

Suddenly, another stab wound formed on the body of the Orc, blood gushed from the wound to its side- now Azog had too many wounds to stem with both hands; it stepped backwards, looking around high and low for the attacker, but nothing could be seen; the other Orcs screeched, jumping away in fear as this unseen attacker continued its rampage.

Roaring in pain, Azog called to its Warg, Kili still in its grasp- the beast growled and spat out the dwarf, Kili falling to the floor, listless and limp.

Thorin watched as Azog, the Great Defiler, fled with his minions, blood pouring from numerous wounds, into the night. He couldn't quite believe it….what had happened?

At this moment in time he didn't care for answer, for as soon as the Orcs were gone he and Fili ran to Kili, with Fili falling to his knees, his tunic saturated with dark blood.

Fili rolled Kili round, shaking his head as he saw the extent of his little brother's wounds; the teeth of the Warg had punctuated the flesh of his legs and lower body.

'Gandalf!' he screamed, before hoisting his brother to his level and clutching him to his chest, rocking him slightly as he hugged him tight-Kili's head fell onto his shoulder, his forehead slipping down.

'No, no, no no no no…don't start this again, don't you dare…' Fili muttered, picking Kili slightly up before pressing his hands into his wounds; he heard his brother moan in his ear.

'Come on, you're strong….stronger than me, or even Thorin….' Fili looked, eyes wide at their Uncle; tears were tracking down his face, smearing the blood, sweat and mud caked on his cheeks.

'He's going to make it? Gandalf?' Fili breathed as the Wizard crouched next to him, not liking his uncle's expression.

'Gandalf?' he repeated. 'He- he's going to make it, isn't he?' he asked.

When the Wizard didn't answer he clutched Kili ever tighter against his chest, rocking him back and forth- he could feel his breath on his cheek; surely he would survive if he could hear him breathing?

'Don't you do this…..' he whispered into his brother's hair.

'…..Don't you leave me.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter to come!  
> Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is more of an epilogue than an actual chapter, so its a bit short- the group, tired and weary, stumble on a sight that makes their journey worth it.

Kili came to on a pony, his face to blue sky, pressed against someone's chest. The steady rhythm of the pony's hooves on hard ground almost lulled the dwarf back into sleep, but his eyes pinged open as he caught a familiar scent- he looked round and saw Fili was sitting behind him on the pony, holding him tight against his body; his head had been on his shoulder.

Fili looked down as he noticed Kili's breathing pattern had changed- he smiled widely as he saw his little brother looking up at him with wide eyes. 'Afternoon, sleepy head- nice of you to join the world of the living for once…' he muttered, before winking at Kili as his brother stretched.

Kili hissed as he moved his skin, yet the pain seemed only to be residual- it should hurt much worse than this, he thought….

As if reading his mind, Fili piped up, 'It was a good job that Gandalf was here this time, another few moments without care and you would have….well, you wouldn't be here.' His voice trailed off, before he coughed; it seemed he had been saying these thoughts of things much too often lately.

'Ah….' Kili replied; that was all he could say. He was eternally grateful for the Wizard being here, and for his brother and uncle for always being there for him when he needed them.

'What happened to Azog, and the other Wargs?' he asked, frowning down at his brother.

Fili returned his frown, shrugging. 'Don't know- everything was going really bad, and then….well, something happened, and Azog retreated.' He explained.

'What do you mean, something?'

'Well, we don't know-something attacked him, something unseen…..we don't know what it was. But he's gone now, and that's all that matters…' Fili muttered, shaking his head.

'I guess….we don't need to be wary of this invisible foe, do we?' Kili asked, unusual anxiety in his stomach.

'Well, whatever it was, it's gone- we haven't known of it since; I'm sure we're fine, brother- don't worry.'

Kili nodded, feeling a little better; sighing, he wiped a hand down his face, before stopping when it got to his cheek- smiling daftly, he realised the scars from the Goblin blade of his face was no longer there. He grinned around at his brother, pointing to his cheek, before feeling his newly smooth face once more, smiling contently.

'Yes, Kili, I asked Gandalf to change your face- all we would have succeeded to do if it were left like you had it would be endless moans and groans from you every time you looked into water, or a mirror if we found one.' Fili chuckled, rolling his eyes.

'True, I'm just glad any damage cannot be permanent now we've got a wizard!' Kili grinned- suddenly, with dawning realisation, he looked down at the mode of transport they were riding on, and then looked around- 'Uh, Fili…..I thought we lost the ponies? None of them came to Goblin-Town with us.'

Fili snorted, before he gave Kili the reins and deftly slipped off the back of the pony, grateful for hard ground under his feet. 'You're right- we came upon a farmer taking some crops to a town and we, uh, borrowed the pony.'

'Borrowed?' Kili looked sideways down at his brother, eyebrows raised.

'Well, ok- we sort of…..took the pony.'

'Fili!'

'It wasn't me! I was all for carrying you, but Thorin wouldn't let me continue because my wounds kept opening even after Gandalf fixed them, and then we came upon this farmer….he wouldn't give it to us….'

'So?'

'So….Gloin and Bifur threatened to hack his head from his shoulders if he didn't give us the pony.' Filo grinned at the ground.

'Oh dear!' Kili chuckled, shaking his head mock-angry at the other dwarves. 'Shame on you all….' He muttered sarcastically.

Fili grinned good- naturedly, but with a frown Kili saw he was limping- casting a look at their uncle, who was at the front with Gandalf, he saw that he too was finding it hard to walk.

'Here, why don't you sit back on, I'm fine- maybe Thorin needs a rest?' he pointed out to his brother, making to get off the animal.

Fili raised his eyebrows, before shaking his head and putting a hand on Kili's leg to steady him. 'Oh no, we got the pony for you, not for me or Thorin- you've accumulated the most injuries in the past few days; you need to rest.'

'You don't have to- I don't need special treatment….' Kili grumbled, suddenly feeling very exposed sat atop the pony, with everyone else plodding on below him.

'It's not special treatment- just a way to get you around. When we stop for the evening we can let the pony go if you so wish.'

'Can we rest now?' Kili muttered, sighing. He realised he was being very selfish, and should be grateful.

'Thanks, though- means a lot.' He muttered, leaning down and poking Fili in the shoulder.

'Yeah, well- don't make a habit of it…' Fili replied, giving Kili a look.

'What? What have I done now?' Kili smiled, shifting the reins in his hands as he looked down at Fili.

'You know what- getting injured all the time, being near-death more times than I can count….' Fili muttered, voice wavering. 'Scaring me, making me think I'm going to lose you, it's not a very nice thing to do to an older sibling.' He muttered, before winking at Kili as he saw his brother had a shocked look on his face.

'I'm sorry, I really am.' Kili don't know what else to say; it wasn't his fault his plan didn't work….

'I'll try not to in the future.'

Fili snorted under his breath, before sighing loudly 'If only I could believe that….' He muttered, more to himself than his brother.

Kili frowned, hearing exactly what he said. 'What-what do you mean? Fili?'

Fili saw he had unnerved his brother, and squeezed his knee lightly to comfort him. 'Well, it's just….everything, isn't it? The danger, the risks….how do we even know we're going to survive long enough to reach Erebor.'

'Don't say that! Not you, Fili- you can't.' Kili yelped, shaking his head- why was his brother talking like this?

'I don't mean to frighten you, brother; I really mean not to….I'm sorry.' Fili replied, cursing himself for letting his own fears cloud his speech. Kili didn't need to know this; he was still so young, still unaware of war and battles, as was he- but he, Fili, needed to think of the future, and what other dangers their quest might hold.

There was silence for a while, whilst the pony clopped along steadily as a gentle wind blew through the group; Kili watched a fixed point on the horizon, a frown on his face.

Fili looked up, anxious to see if his brother was ok- he didn't mean to upset him, he just wanted him to understand.

Suddenly, Kili sat up straighter on his pony, wincing. Fili frowned. 'What's the matter?' he asked, peering ahead to see what his brother was looking at.

'Why is Gandalf leading us off a cliff?' came his reply.

His eyes wide, Fili stood on his tiptoes- after all, Kili was on a pony; he could see much farther away than he could. But, sure enough, he could see that his brother was right….a great cliff face was coming up, and Fili could see a panoramic view ahead of them.

'I don't know….let's go up and see…' he muttered, stopping the pony and helping his brother get down.

Kili hissed as he used his brother's shoulders to help him get off the horse- together, and with the rest of the dwarves who could now see something was up, they made their way to stand next to Thorin, Gandalf and Bilbo. Kili looked down at the Hobbit, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing lightly. 'I see you made it out of the forest ok.' He smiled.

Bilbo looked up, nodding. 'Yep, piece of cake…' he muttered, smiling inwardly.

Kili grinned, not thinking any more of his words. Thorin looked at his nephew, smiling as he walked up to him. 'Kili…glad you're on the mend.' He muttered, putting a hand on Kili's shoulder.

'I'm fine, really, uncle. Why have we stopped here?' he asked, looking around.

'Can't you see? Look to the horizon….' Thorin muttered, standing between his two nephews as they peered into the distance.

Kili and Fili peered out into the open air, squinting in the sunlight- 'Is that….' Fili muttered.

'It can't be….' Kili breathed.

'Erebor.' Thorin finished, pride in his heart.

The brother's stood back, beaming at each other from behind their uncle. Thorin didn't take his eyes off the misty mount in the far distance; the dark mass of land that housed his kingdom, and where he would sit again.

'We're close!' Kili muttered, grinning.

'No, Master Kili, we are not.' Gandalf spoke from his side, a wry smile on his face. 'We are many, many miles away- we still have a long journey ahead of us….'

'But we know we're going to make it now, right? Now we can see it?' Kili replied, naivety showing.

'Perhaps…' Gandalf did not like to quash his spirit- he would leave the talking to his brother and uncle.

Thorin let the words wash over him, eyes only for Erebor. He sighed, eyes closing as his mind raced. A new age, a new epoch of the dwarves was starting; he could feel it in his bones, in his heart.

Erebor would be his again; he only wished it would come sooner.

The sun was high in the sky as the dwarves looked upon their long lost homeland; each and every one of them was smiling, each lost in their own worlds and thoughts.

'Come…..' Thorin muttered after a while, finished with his soaking up of the view of his kingdom that he would soon be reclaiming.

He turned, placing his hands on his nephew's shoulders, a smile on his face as they walked away from the cliff edge.

'….Let's go home.'

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this, kudos-ing the story and everything, glad you enjoyed it!  
> Please comment your final thoughts, I'd love to hear them!

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter will be up soon!


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